Universal Shift: Reading Harry Potter
by Koldrian
Summary: It's 2011 and Luna finds a way to jump across universes and go back in time. Plans are made to retrieve dead friends and family and bring them back to the 'proper' universe. When there they read the Harry Potter books.
1. Prologue

_**Universal Shift: Reading Harry Potter**_

_**Disclaimer**_** - I do not intend any copyright infringement. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. This story is purely for the enjoyment of fanfiction readers and the author. There is not any money being made from this story, nor will there ever be any made.**

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_**Authors Note**_

**Yes, this has been done before. Yes, they are reading the books. But the idea is very original.**

**By the way, there are two people working on this story as we both have our own accounts and are working on separate stories. This Prologue will set up who will be there for the reading of the stories.**

**Oh, and all of the Harry Potter books will be in one story.**

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_**Prologue – 2nd May 2011**_

It was late afternoon and Harry was deep in thought. Every year when it came to the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry spent quite a lot of time thinking about the losses they sustained during the reign of Voldemort. Snape. Colin. Fred. Mad-Eye. Dumbledore. Sirius. Cedric. Harry's parents. It didn't matter how much anyone told him otherwise, he still felt guilty for each and every one of those deaths.

Every year he thought and every year he wasted a day. Harry really felt it was worth it. He couldn't say why but, for some strange reason, he felt happier remembering them, even despite the guilt.

He snapped out of his reverie as he saw his young daughter running towards him, her already long hair swishing around. "Daddy!" Lily cried.

Lily Luna Potter was born on 27th February, 2008 and was three years old at the time. And, boy did she love her father. "Hey there Lily-Flower," Harry said lifting his daughter up into his lap and started tickling her mercilessly. She began giggling loudly and started to kick at her father. For the first time in hours Harry had a smile on his face.

At that time, Ginny Potter walked through the door smiling at the sight of her husband being kicked by his three year old daughter. Harry stopped tickling his daughter and smiled at his wife who, even after three children, still looked amazingly beautiful. Ginny bent down and kissed her daughter on the cheek and then her husband full on the lips which caused Lily to burst out in a fit of giggles.

At the same time a voice could be heard from the hallway. "EEEEW!" James exclaimed with a small smile on his face.

"You don't like it look away sonny boy!" Ginny said playfully before running after her black-haired son.

James Sirius Potter was born on 17th of November, 2004 and was six years old. He had black hair like his father but his eyes were brown like his mothers. His face looked more like Ginny than it did Harry. He really lived up to his namesakes. Every chance James got he found ways to prank every member of his family he could. The only person in the extended family James had not gotten with a prank at that point was his Uncle George. He also looked up to his older 'brother' Teddy Lupin.

Teddy Lupin, born on 27th April 1998 was in his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry. Harry was his Godfather. Harry decided early on after the Final Battle that he was too young to bring up the young Metaporphmagus and asked Andromeda Tonks to do what he couldn't. Since that day until Teddy left to Hogwarts, Harry visited Teddy and Andromeda almost every single day. He knew what it was like to be brought up without a father figure and he did not want Teddy to go through that so he made sure he was always there for him.

Harry watched as his wife chased his son around the room, her long red hair swishing around not unlike her daughters was only minutes earlier. James was laughing along with his mother and sister while Harry grinned.

After a while Harry began to wonder where his other son was. He kissed his daughter on the cheek and put her on the ground. Lily quickly ran off and tackled her big brother to the ground and Ginny soon had a hold of both, tickling them both. Harry smiled as he left the room to go to Albus' room.

Albus Severus Potter was born on 21st of March, 2006 and was five years old at the time. Harry was keenly aware of how much Albus looked like him. It was like looking into a mirror into the past, only without a lightning-bolt scar. He was named after Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape, two of Harry's most respected mentors. Harry was really surprised when he realised that Snape was a type of mentor to him. Albus was also extremely smart, much like his two namesakes, his grandmother and his mother. He was definitely not like his brother. He was not a prankster, though he did have a sense of humor.

Harry soon found his son in his room staring out an open window, a few streaks on his face from tears. Harry knew what this was about and he instantly sat on his son's bed and wrapped his arms around him. His son hugged him back and sniffed.

"Dad...so many people died...Uncle Fred..." Albus stopped and buried his face in his father's shoulder. This was not helping Harry's guilt at all.

"Yes, Albus. They did. But I like to think that everyone who died that day, died to save the world. You know the ending to that story. Would you want to live in a world where Voldemort ruled?" Harry asked. He knew better than to keep anything from Albus.

"No. But I never met Uncle Fred. And everyone says that Uncle George never was the same," Albus said sadly not letting go of his father. Harry felt a strange sense of pride when he listened to his son.

"No. You're right. George never has been the same. But he has a lot of help in this family. Maybe when he comes over you could go and give him a hug when you see him?"

Albus sniffed again and Harry felt his son nod his head. Harry gave his son another hug before rustling his hair. "Come on. We have to be downstairs when everyone comes."

Harry and Albus made their way downstairs and soon there was a house full of people. Albus had indeed gone up to George and hugged him. George then whispered something in Albus' ear which made Albus laugh. Harry smiled at that. George had come to Harry and Ginny's home in Godric's Hollow, close to where Harry's parents had lived, along with his wife Angelina Weasley and his two children Fred Weasley II (eight) and Roxanne Weasley (seven).

Ron Weasley and Hermione Weasley, still Harry's best friends, came with their two children Rose Weasley (four) and Hugo (three). Rose and Albus were very close all of their life, which pleased their parents as it gave them a greater chance to meet up, though Ron and Harry saw each other almost every day due to them both being aurors. Hermione was working hard for magical creatures rights.

Neville Longbottom and his wife Hannah Longbottom were there also, though they were yet to have a child. Hannah owned the Leaky Cauldron and Neville was an auror though he was looking into Herbology a bit more.

The only person missing from the proceedings was Luna Scamander. Her husband, Rolf, and her two sons Lysander and Lorcan were on an expedition in Nepal so they couldn't attend but Luna was supposed to be there. After half an hour people began to get worried because, though Luna was often off in her own world, she never missed a function with her friends.

Then, forty-five minutes late, Luna ran through the front door, her face paler than normal and her eyes wild. She stopped in the living room and looked around her. Harry stood up and walked towards the crazy-looking witch before grabbing her forearm. "Luna? What's-"

He was cut off as Luna looked directly in his eyes and said, "Harry. Do you trust me?"

Harry looked taken aback at this. "Of course, Luna. What's wrong?"

"Harry, I know people see me as strange because I know all about Crumple Horned Snorkacks and Nargles but do you trust me?"

"Of course."

"I can get people who have died here, right now." Luna said bluntly which was amazingly strange for the bizarre witch.

The room went deathly silent for about five minutes before Harry spoke up again. "Luna. No spell can reawaken the dead."

"I know that, Harry," Luna said quickly, "I don't expect to bring them back. I intend to bring them...across."

"What?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Luna. Do you need to sit down?" Hannah asked.

"No! Look. I have been researching a branch of magic that was only possible by one wizard in history. His name was Yargly," Luna said quietly as Hermione and Ginny gasped.

"You don't mean..." Hermione asked breathless.

"Universes..."

"What? What's going on?" Angelina and Harry asked as one.

"Yargly was a wizard ten generations before the founders. His most notable achievement was parallel universe travel. He could go across universes and also travel around in time. He was only the second wizard as proficient as Merlin with time-travel."

The whole room was once again silent.

"But, Luna. No-one here is as powerful as Merlin," Ron said quietly.

"Oh! No-one needs to be," Luna said, her eye's going back into a dreamy state as she pulled out a small wand-like object. She then spoke some words that no-one understood and the object lengthened in her hands until it was about a metre and a half long and Harry noticed it was covered in Runes.

"A staff, Luna?" Hermione asked.

"It does look like one doesn't it?" Luna replied before spinning the staff in her hands.

"What does it do, Luna?" Hermione, Ginny, Hannah, George and Ron all said together.

"Oh. It contains all of Yargly's magic," Luna said dreamily and once again the room fell silent.

"Yargly's magic?" Ginny asked, before turning to Hermione, "Is that possible?"

"Yes," Hermione replied, staring at the staff, "As long as a magical being is willing to lose all of their magical core they can transfer their magic into an object, provided the runes on the object are correct. No wonder Yargly was never heard of after his 43rd Birthday. Luna. Where did you find it?"

"Someone used it to bring it to me. I think it was Yargly himself," Luna really had a knack for silencing people without a wand.

"So...what does this mean?"

"We can travel the universes of course. Yargly told me to do so to retrieve our loved ones. He also said that we should use it for redemption purposes as well, though I don't know what he meant by that."

"Wait...so we can get people here from other universes and they will be the same as they were before they left?" George asked hopefully as Angelina grasped his hand.

"More or less as long as we don't stray too far. Yargly told me that the universe we are in is the primary universe. All of the universes around us, there are billions by the way, are slight variants on our world. We can go into a different universes and retrieve people without worry for our own universe. I think we should make a list," Luna said seriously.

"Wait. Luna. Shouldn't we test it first?" Harry asked quickly.

"Of course Harry. Come and grab the staff and I will take us to a different universe and your final duel with Voldemort."

Harry nodded as he grasped the staff. Seconds later he felt a pull at his navel, like he was travelling by portkey and then he was looking at himself and Voldemort's wands locked together, a mix of red and green. His heart raced as he looked over at Luna who was simply watching the duel. Then he felt the same pull and he was transported back. When he returned he dropped to his knees.

Ginny raced over to her husband who had tears rolling down his face. "We can get them Ginny. We can get them here." Harry said weakly as he saw his children walk over. Harry reached around and wrapped all three in a large hug, tears still flowing.

"We should make a list," Luna said quickly, conjuring paper and a pen. Pens were used more often then quills after Voldemort was defeated.

"Fred," George said instantly, his eyes swimming. Angelina pulled her husband into a hug.

"Wait!" Hermione gasped, "But they will be younger than us. What do we do about that?"

"Yargly told me that was another ability of the staff. It can age people or make them younger. He said that was very important to our cause and showed me how to do it. They can be the age they would be on this day if they wish," Luna's eyes burned with a passion Harry had never seen before in her. Hermione mutely nodded. "With our list we need to come up with the date we go back to in each universe as well. It would be best. He also told me to attempt to limit the people to the last two wars."

Everyone nodded and started rattling off names. They soon had their list.

**Fred Weasley** – 28th July 1997

**James and Lily Potter** – 21st October 1979

**Sirius Black** – 13th May, 1996

**Frank and Alice Longbottom** – 21st October 1979

**Felula Abbot** – 28th April 1996

**Amelia Bones** – 28th April 1996

**Hedwig** – 30th July 1991

**Albus Dumbledore** – 9th June 1946

**Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks** – 9th July 1997 (Two Days Before Their Wedding)

**Colin Creevey** – 1st May 1998

**Alastor Moody** – 26th July, 1997

**Severus Snape** – 31st August 1991

**Cedric Diggory** – 29th May 1995

**Fabian and Gideon Prewett** – August 15th 1980

**Dobby** – 15th February 1998

**Ted Tonks** – 28th July 1997

**Regulus Black** – 25th January 1979

But when the list was complete Harry felt something was missing. Luna said to include redemption. What did that mean? _Redemption. Time Travel. The last two wars caused by Voldemort...no...it couldn't be_.

"Yargly wants us to get Tom Riddle," Harry said in a hoarse voice.

"WHAT?" Everyone screamed.

"Think about it. He talked about redemption. Redemption. Time Travel. The last two wars were caused by Tom Riddle. I think...I think Yargly wants us to go back to Riddle's youth and adopt him."

The room was silent before Ginny spoke up. "Harry. I think you're right. It makes sense. Surely even Tom couldn't have been evil at an age like seven. No one could. Could they?"

Everyone shook their heads mostly agreeing with Ginny.

"But...what if he could turn out...evil?" Hannah asked.

"Everyone _could_ be evil," Harry said simply, feeling more okay with the prospect. He turned to face Ginny, "I think we should be the ones to adopt him."

Ginny, to Harry's surprise, nodded. "I figured you would say that. I remember you telling me how similar your upbringing was to Tom's and I know you would want to help. I mean, after my first year I am reluctant but a seven year old Riddle is not the seventeen year old from the diary."

There were a few confused looks around the room from those who were not familiar with the Chamber of Secrets incident. Harry spoke up again. "I think I would like it if I could help him. I actually do feel sorry for that kid from the orphanage. It was the adult I hated, not the bullied child."

Soon they added one more to the list.

**Tom Riddle** – 31 December, 1933.

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**_Authors Note_**

***GASP* Tom Riddle! What do you think? Tom Riddle as a child reading the Harry Potter books was my plan all along and that spawned this. As a seven year old, I don't think Tom would be evil so I plan on having him be a good kid. And, yes, Harry and Ginny are going to adopt him legally.**

**Also, I couldn't resist naming Hannah's mum Felula. Hehe.**

**Along with the people already mentioned, there will be others there. I am thinking, Dennis Creevey, Arthur, Molly, Percy, Bill, Charlie, Fleur, Susan Bones, Augusta Longbottom, Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, Pomona Sprout and maybe even the Dursley's. At least for some fun. Any other names I should include?**

**Give the next update a few days. We have to write the retrievals of several characters which will take some time. Please stick with us.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	2. Universal Shift: Part 1

_**Disclaimer**_** - I do not intend any copyright infringement. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. This story is purely for the enjoyment of fanfiction readers and the author. There is not any money being made from this story, nor will there ever be any made.**

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**_Authors Note_**

**We have come up with the order in which the characters will be retrieved. The list will include the order, the 'Part' they will be retrieved in, who will be retrieving them, and which of us will be writing each retrieval. Don't assume this will be everyone though. I like surprises.**

**Part 1**

**Albus Dumbledore – Beletrium (HP/RW/HW)  
****James and Lily Potter – Beletrium (HP/GP/RW/HW)**

**Part 2**

**Frank and Alice Longbottom – Kuhal (NL/HL)  
****Hedwig – Beletrium (HP)  
****Severus Snape – Beletrium (LP/AD)  
****Cedric Diggory – Kuhal (HP/HL)  
****Sirius Black – Beletrium (HP/JP/LP)**

**Part 3**

**Regulus Black – Beletrium (HP/SB/SS)  
****Felula Abbot – Beletrium (HL/NL)  
****Fred Weasley – Kuhal (GW/AW/RW)  
****Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks – Kuhal (HP/TL/SB/JP)**

**Part 4**

**Alastor Moody – Kuhal (FL/JP/SB/NT)  
****Amelia Bones – Kuhal (HP/AlbusD/AM)  
****Fabian/Gideon Prewett – Kuhal (FW/GW)**

**Part 5**

**Ted Tonks – Kuhal (TL/NT/RL)  
****Dobby – Kuhal (HP)  
****Colin Creevey – Beletrium (HP/GP)**

**Part 6**

**Tom Riddle – Beletrium (HP/GP)**

**(FYI. LP is Lily Potter not Lily Luna Potter. The only young oner going on the retrievals is Teddy.)**

**Both of us have proper accounts on this site. Beletrium is currently doing well with his first story.**

**Onto the Chapter!**

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_**Universal Shift Part 1**_

The list was passed around all of the adults who all, in turn, nodded their approval. Harry, though, noticed a small look on Luna's face. Luna had always seemed unreadable to everyone around her because of how odd she was. But Harry had always been able to see through that with her. This time Harry knew that something was wrong.

"You alright Luna?" Harry asked.

"Oh..." Luna looked off into the distance as she was so well-known for doing, "Yes, I am. I suspect my head is full of Wrackspurts after my visit from Yargly. It was rather interesting to say the least."

Harry seemed to get the answer very quickly. He had always understood Luna better than many others. "Luna...You want to get your mother don't you?"

Luna sharply turned to Harry with a surprised look on her face. Harry was slightly taken aback. He had never seen that look on Luna's face since he and Ginny had told her Lily's middle name. "Uh...yes," Luna said quietly. Harry looked around to everyone in the room, silently asking the question. After receiving five nods, Harry turned to the blonde.

"Luna. We would like to thank you for allowing us to do this," Harry started, talking as firmly and formally as he could muster. Luna looked on, still surprised, "Because of you, we will be able to see loved ones again. I can see my parents. Because of that, I think that your mother deserves to be on this list."

**Francis Lovegood**

"I think you would know the best date. And you can choose who will go with you. I also think that it would be nice if you went and got your mother first," Harry said grinning.

Luna did something else very uncharacteristic and raced to Harry, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him. Harry made sure to look at Ginny who had a beautiful smile on her face. When Luna let go of Harry, she looked at him.

"Thank you, Harry," Luna said softly, tears standing in her eyes, "I want you, Ginny and Neville to come with me. You were my first friends and I want my mother to meet you."

Harry nodded and motioned for Neville and Ginny to come forward, and both obliged. Both hugged Luna. "Hermione. Ron. Look after James, Albus and Lily for us. Luna. Do you want to go and get your mother right now?" Luna mutely nodded before holding out the staff. Three hands grasped it for a second before all feeling a pull on their navels.

**28****th**** February, 1990**

Harry, Ginny and Neville all found themselves outside in the sun, in front of an oddly shaped house. Harry and Ginny recognised it instantly as the Lovegood Home. Harry still had mixed feelings about the Lovegood Home. So much had happened with Xenophilius during the Horcrux Hunt. He was able to forgive the man because Harry knew that he was only turning them in to get Luna back.

Ginny, on the other hand, had nothing but good memories of the house in front of her. Sure, Xeno and Luna were strange, but Ginny had always felt profoundly welcomed at the Lovegood Home. Xeno seemed to love her like his own daughter and Luna was like her sister. At least until her mother died. When Luna's mother died, it seemed that Ginny hardly saw her friend and when she did, Luna looked even more lost than usual. Ginny could completely understand why Luna wanted her mother back.

Harry took Ginny's hand as they walked towards the door of the house. Harry then realised something. "Luna. What if your father is there?"

"Oh, he won't be," Luna replied, not stopping. Harry grabbed her arm lightly.

"How can you be sure Luna?"

"I have something of a photographic memory. I remember dates very well. I know that on the 28th of February in 1990, I was at the Burrow, while my father was away on a small trip to get some information on Heglaphargs for the Quibbler. My mother was very alone on this day," Luna said with a dream-like quality to her voice.

"Okay then Luna. Good enough for me," Harry said happily, "Let's go."

As she stepped up to the door, Luna was ecstatic. She was going to see her mother ago and she was going to get her to return to Luna's own dimension so she would actually have her mother again. What was not to be happy about?

Luna knocked happily on the door. It was a few seconds before the door opened to reveal a woman. But not just any woman. She looked almost identical to Luna, except that her eyes were smaller and a light shade of brown.

"Hell-" Francis Lovegood began before finally noticing the people in front of her and falling to her knees, "You have come! As was foretold! Those that travel the universes have come to retrieve me for a most noble cause! Thank you! Thank you!"

Harry, Ginny and Neville were all looking on in shock. What was with this crazy woman? She knew they were coming?

"Ah, mother! You have foretold the future once more. You are quite the Seer when you want to be aren't you?" Luna asked dreamily.

"Ah, my daughter, but I am. I see you have brought along with you Harry Potter, Ginny Potter and Neville Longbottom. How nice to meet you all," Francis spoke in a voice only slightly less dreamy than Luna's own voice.

"How did you know our names Mrs Lovegood?" Neville asked quietly.

"Call me Francis. I am a Seer, Neville. But not a normal Seer. You see, a normal Seer would have no recollection of his or her own prophecies but I can remember each of mine. And just a few minutes ago I predicted your arrival and what you would ask of me. I am prepared to leave, provided my Xeno is alive in your world and your time," Francis replied more seriously.

"Yes, mummy. Daddy is very much alive," Luna seemed to lose her formality at that point and descended into a child-like state, "Please, grasp the staff." All four, Francis Lovegood included, grasped the rune-riddled staff and soon felt a pull at their navel.

**2****nd**** May, 2011**

There was a flash of light as Luna, Harry, Ginny and Neville left with the staff. Before anyone could blink, however, the light flashed again and the four returned with what seemed to be a second Luna. Hermione let out a gasp when she realised that what Luna had told them actually had worked. If she was being honest with herself she was actually extremely unsure about the whole thing. But now that she saw this extra person she was convinced.

Once all five were steady on their, feet Hermione saw that Luna's face was somewhat different. Like some sort of a hole had been filled within her. Hermione smiled when she saw this. She had always thought that there was something missing with the blonde and now she fully understood what it meant to Luna to have a mother.

"Everyone," Luna said happily, "This is Francis Lovegood. My mother."

From there, Luna introduced her mother to everyone in the room. When they were finished, Francis told everyone that she was a Seer and had predicted that Luna, Harry, Ginny and Neville would come for her. Something about the woman made Hermione really think that she was a Seer. More so than Trelawney at least.

"Hey, Hermione," Harry said as he turned to face her. He had Lily sitting on his lap and Albus was sitting next to him, "How long were we gone?"

"All of about one second, Harry," Hermione said before laughing at the incredulous look on his face.

"But to us it would have been about ten minutes," Harry said with a slight frown, before breaking out in a smile, "That's brilliant. That means that it won't take us long at all to gather everyone. I imagine that there will be at least a few people who won't believe us like Francis did. I imagine Dumbledore will need some convincing. And Mad-Eye will probably need even more," At the thought Harry burst out laughing and Hermione couldn't really help herself. Though, they did not understand the joke, both Albus and Lily began laughing as well. Harry looked at them with adoration in his eyes.

Hermione knew how much these kids meant to him, especially after his childhood. She also knew that he was planning on using a lot of his own money to fund the opening of a new all-magical orphanage, and that he was planning to get Molly Weasley to run. And then, not even an hour ago he told everyone he planned on adopting a seven year old Tom Riddle. Tom Riddle of all people! But she really couldn't fault his logic.

While she was still musing Harry got to his feet, sitting Lily on the ground. "I'm going to go and talk to Minerva and see if I can get Teddy a few days off school. I think he deserves to come with us to get Remus and Tonks. I will also tell Minerva what we are doing and invite her, Pomona, Filius and Horace to see everyone when they return."

"Good idea Harry," Ron said. Everyone quickly agreed. Harry then turned to Luna and Francis.

"Luna, perhaps you and your mother might like to see your father. Bring him here. That way you can spend some time together," Harry said as Luna enveloped him in another hug.

Harry made his way to the fireplace and firecalled Minerva McGonagall.

"Harry! How nice to hear from you!" Minerva said, in her Scottish accent, "Is everything alright?"

"Better than alright, Minerva. Do you mind if I come and talk to you for a while?"

"Of course not Harry. You are always welcome at Hogwarts. Perhaps you could bring Ginny and the kids?"

"Of course. We will be there soon," Harry said, ending the call and turning to his kids who were standing excitedly close to him, "Hey, kids. Wanna go and see Auntie Minerva?"

James, Albus and Lily all started bouncing around, though Lily more so than the others. Harry bent down and scooped up his daughter, kissing her on the cheek. Ginny walked towards him smiling. Harry then scooped some more Floo powder up, stepped into the flames and shouted, "Hogwarts Headmistress' Office!" and in an instant, green flames engulfed him and he felt himself spinning.

Within a manner of seconds he found himself in Minerva McGonagall's office in Hogwarts. He let his giggling daughter down and she soon found her 'Auntie' and gave her a big hug. As if on instinct Harry sought out Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape's portraits. He had visited them enough to know where they were and that they were both next to each other. When he reached them he saw a smile on Dumbledore's face and a sneer on Snape's, though Harry really knew this was for show. Since the Final Battle he and Snape's portrait had become at least a bit close.

"Hello, Harry! What brings you to Hogwarts?" Dumbledore asked, the twinkle in his eye shining through even in portrait form. In the background Harry heard the fireplace and assumed his wife and sons had made it.

"I quite agree with that question, Potter," Snape sneered, "Didn't you show the castle enough arrogance when you were here?"

Harry chuckled. "Of course not, Severus. Never. And to answer your question, Albus, I need to talk with you, Severus and Minerva about something that may make everyone's lives a little better."

Snape raised an eyebrow and Dumbledore smiled.

"Harry. May I ask what this is about?" Minerva asked, motioning for Harry to sit in a chair next to his wife, who was holding Lily. When Harry did sit, Albus climbed up into Harry's lap. James had his own chair.

Harry took a deep breath and recounted the day's events. By the end, Minerva looked completely awestruck. As did Dumbledore and Snape's portraits. It was actually Snape's portrait who spoke first.

"So you can go and get Lily? And she will be the same?" He asked. Only the children in the room had no idea about why Severus had said this. In fact, Lily even looked at the portrait strangely before settling back into her mothers' arms.

"Yes. We can," Harry said with a slight smile, "We have actually made a list, and I am happy to say that you two have made the list."

Both portraits gaped at Harry, looking strange doing so. Harry then got out the list and recounted the names of the people he planned on getting and the dates they would get them from, omitting only Tom Riddle.

"So you plan on getting the me from just after Gellert's downfall? Why is that, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"I figure that is when you were at your strongest. And also, that means you could go back to teaching-" Harry was interrupted by Minerva.

"Or running the damn school!" It was no secret Minerva did not like being Headmistress as much as she did being Deputy.

"Yes," Harry said, smiling, "Or that."

"And why then for me?" Snape asked.

Harry shrugged. "You hadn't met me yet."

Snape pondered that for a minute and sighed. "You are probably right."

Dumbledore asked many more questions about Yargly, before Harry finally got to talk to Minerva about Teddy. "Minerva. I think Teddy should have a few days off school. I mean, his parents are returning to him. And I would like him to come and get them with us."

"Of course. I believe his classes are finished for the day. He would likely be in the Gryffindor Common Room. I will go and retrieve him," With that Minerva left through the fire. Just as she left Harry turned to Dumbledore, wondering something.

"Albus. Do you know much about Yargly?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, Harry. Not much I'm afraid. Though I do know that he was immensely adept at memory charms. Not the 'Lockhart' way but in the sense of returning memories or replacing them. He was rather well known for it," Dumbledore replied thinking.

"Well, Albus. I just realised that when we go and get some people they may not even realise they would have a child. I was thinking maybe the staff could help us with that. I mean look what it can already do. Perhaps it can 'restore' memories of people from other universes with memories of ours for the time between when we retrieve them and when they die," Harry was thinking very hard at that point while Ginny watched with an amazed look on her face.

"Harry," Ginny began, "I think we should ask Luna. I think Yargly would have the answer, and may have even given it to her. She can be absent minded sometimes."

"Ginevra is correct, Harry. Perhaps Mrs. Scamander does have the answer. Sadly, I do not," Dumbledore said looking downcast. At that moment Minerva appeared through the fire followed by a teenager with deep blue hair.

"Teddy! How's school?" Harry asked, walking towards his Godson.

"Great! It's been really fun this year, Harry," Teddy said as he embraced Harry. He followed that by hugging Ginny and Lily and ruffling James and Albus' hair, "What are you doing here anyway?"

Harry explained once more to Teddy who, by the end, looked more hopeful then Harry had ever seen him. "So I can...I can get my...parents?" He looked deep into his godfathers emerald green eyes, tears standing in his own.

"Yes, Teddy. You can. And you're grandfather too," Harry said quietly. Then Teddy stood up and motioned to the fireplace.

"Let's go then!" He said excitedly.

"Ok. We will," Harry turned to Minerva, "Thank you for allowing Teddy to come. Also, feel free to join as at our home later to see the returnees. You can also bring Filius, Pomona and Horace. They might be happy to see some old faces," Harry said grinning. Minerva grinned back, something that was rare, even after Hogwarts

"Of course, Harry. And good luck."

With that Harry, Ginny, Teddy, James, Albus and Lily all left Minerva's office and flooed back to Harry and Ginny's house in Godric's Hollow. When they arrived, everyone greeted Teddy and he made sure to give Luna a massive hug. Harry looked on proudly at his godson.

"Luna! I need to ask you something," Harry said, remembering his thoughts in Minerva's office.

"What is it Harry?" Luna replied.

"Did Yargly mention anything about memory charms on the staff?"

"Oh, yes he did. Didn't I mention it?" Luna asked, wide-eyed as Harry shook his head, "Well then, he told me that if I touched each of their shoulders with the largest end of the staff, they will regain memories they had from our universe."

Harry felt something lifted off his shoulders when he heard that. "Thanks Luna. You won't have to do that to everyone. Just probably Remus, Tonks, Frank Longbottom, Alice Longbottom, my mum and my dad. Mainly so they know that they have kids," Luna nodded and Harry turned to face everyone in the house, "Okay! I think we need to get rolling here. We have a list of people and we know the order in which we will get them. Luna, being the only person able to use the staff will be going on every trip. First up is Dumbledore. Ron, Hermione and I will be going to retrieve him. After talking to his portrait I think I have a bargaining chip to get him to come. To you all it will seem a very short time between when we leave and when we get back. So, see you in a second."

Harry, Ron and Hermione all grabbed hold of Luna's staff and they were pulled away.

**9****th**** June 1946**

Within seconds, all four were in the Headmaster's office in Hogwarts in the year of 1946. Harry knew that 1946 was the year that Dumbledore took over being Headmaster from Armando Dippet so he took the chance to be at the school while he was Headmaster.

A much younger looking Dumbledore looked up from his desk and pulled out his wand, pointing it at the strangers. Harry grimaced when he noticed that the wand was, in fact, the Elder Wand. Harry had learned Wandless Magic in the course of being an Auror and quickly disarmed the Headmaster. He did this without thinking and soon realised that he was, once again, master of the Elder Wand. He felt a strange sensation go down his arm as he caught the wand.

"Don't worry, Albus. We come in peace. We just want to talk," Harry said calmly.

The younger Dumbledore tried using Legilimency on Harry, so he opened his mind slightly to allow for the man to see that they were entirely peaceful. "Okay then. What is it you wish to speak about? Who are you?" Dumbledore asked, eying Luna and the staff with a very close eye.

"My name is Harry Potter. The red-head is Ronald Weasley. The brunette is Hermione Granger. And the blonde is Luna Scamander. Albus. I really don't know how to put this but we aren't of this time. Actually, to be more precise, we aren't of this universe," Harry said bluntly. He really couldn't think of any way to get Dumbledore interested than this. Dumbledore's eyes grew wide.

"Time Travellers? No!" He shouted, "You must not change the timeline! I cannot allow it! Leave this instant!" Harry simply shook his head.

"No, Albus. We are not changing the timeline. You see we come from an Alternate Universe, very much the same as this one. Had we not some, there would have been one miniscule difference between this universe and ours. Our universe, we are told, is the main universe. Every other universe stems from our own," Harry said quietly, mainly for dramatic effect.

"But why come here? Why to me?" Dumbledore asked as he slumped back in his chair.

Hermione answered. "Because, in 1997, you are murdered. By a Professor no less. And we want you back in our world," Hermione paused, taking a breath, "Sir, you were killed as a result of a war. We are currently getting people lost due, in some way, to the war. You are the first person for that purpose that we are retrieving. You were very important to the Wizarding World."

"But why?" Dumbledore asked feebly.

Ron decided to talk. "Too many people died during the war. I lost one member of my family. Harry," Ron pointed to Harry, "Lost his parents early on. We think that innocent lives should not have been lost so we plan to gather who we can."

Dumbledore looked lost at all of this information. "How?"

"That's easy, sir," Luna said in a dreamy voice, "Yargly."

Dumbledore paled slightly before saying, "Yargly?"

"Yes, sir. He came to me and gave me his staff. This staff can let us go across universes and backwards in time. It can also give one memories of their life from our universe."

Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a few minutes before Harry spoke. "Albus. You don't have to come with us. But we might be able to do something for you. We might be able to get Ariana."

Dumbledore's eyes widened in shock. "How did you know about Ariana?" He almost shouted. Harry looked calmly at Dumbledore while Hermione gasped slightly.

"I found out after you died, Albus. I think no less of you. In fact, you were very much like a Grandfather to me, in my time at Hogwarts. And..." But Harry trailed off, his eyes widening in a quick realization.

"What's up, Harry?" Ron asked as Dumbledore watched on looking perplexed.

"The books," Harry said quickly and excitedly. Ron just looked at him blankly, "_The_ books Ron! The ones that woman wrote about me!"

"Oh. What do they have to do with anything?" Ron asked, still confused.

"The majority of people we know haven't read them, and a lot of who we are getting doesn't know my story. What if we read the books as a group?"

"Oh Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, "That's a brilliant idea! That way your parents can know all about you!"

Dumbledore interjected at this point. "What books are you referring to?"

Harry smiled. "Books about my Hogwarts years. Apparently, a squib by the name of J.K. Rowling knew my story somehow and wrote it almost word for word. We," Harry motioned to himself, Hermione and Ron, "Think she may be a Seer."

"Okay," Dumbledore said, pausing for a moment before speaking again, "Is this safe?"

Luna nodded. "We tried it on my mother not an hour ago. It worked rather successfully."

"And you can get...Ariana?" Dumbledore asked, sounding like something of a lost child.

Harry waited a moment. "Yes. We didn't plan to, but we want you back and I think that you would also come with her. So we can oblige that."

Dumbledore nodded, a fierceness in his eyes. "Okay. I will go with you, provided we go and get Ariana right now."

Luna nodded again. "I need a date to go to. And a place."

"8th June, 1899. Godric's Hollow," Dumbledore said fiercely.

Harry looked at his old mentor. "Albus. You may want to disarm me. You will want this wand." Harry felt the wand leave his hand and saw it enter Dumbledore's, "Thank you, Albus. Now all you have to do is grab a hold of the staff. It is rather like a portkey."

Dumbledore nodded slowly and warily grabbed and a moment later Harry felt the pull on his navel once more.

**8****th**** June, 1899**

The five soon stood on a dirt road which seemed to go through a small village. Dumbledore looked around and sighed sadly at the sight of his former home. He looked all around, memories flooding him. When he grew tired of that, he looked to the four who had changed his life. He looked at the strange man with the lightning-bolt scar. He wondered how that got there and why it seemed so important. He also looked at the red-head. He knew from this name that he was from the Weasley family.

Then there was the bushy-haired girl. She looked extremely intelligent and Dumbledore felt himself drawn to her in a strange way. And the blonde. She seemed so odd to Dumbledore. Her eyes seemed to always be unfocused but she knew exactly what she was saying. She had also met Yargly. And had a staff that had his powers in it. This girl was something else, though most Lovegoods were.

But his mind soon came back to the task at hand. Ariana. He was going to see his sister again for the first time in many years. That was worth anything. Even going to a different universe with the four people who had shown up in his office.

"The house is this way," Dumbledore stated, leading the three towards a large house. It was painted a cream colour and had many windows.

Dumbledore had chosen this date because it was the day after his mother had died, so there was going to be little to no resistance in the house to get to Ariana. He looked at his old home, knowing his sister was in there. Ariana.

"Wait outside," Dumbledore said, "I shall go in and retrieve Ariana and meet you back out here," The others simply nodded and Dumbledore went to the door and opened it. But he was not prepared for what happened when he did so. As soon as the door open, a barrage of memories hit him. Sadness filled every part of him, but his purpose kept him moving. Ariana.

He walked with a purpose. He headed straight for his sister's room. It was amazing how much he actually remembered. He made it to the door that had 'Ariana' inscribed on it and his heart stopped. He was going to see her again. For a minute he composed himself before opening the door.

He saw his sister laying on a bed in the middle of a wonderfully kept room. She was gazing up at the ceiling, a book on her chest. She glanced towards the sound and Dumbledore stopped in his tracks. Ariana.

"Who are you?" Ariana asked, her voice quivering with slight fear. This made Albus pale slightly.

"Ariana. It's Albus. Your brother," Dumbledore said soothingly as he made his way to her bed. When he reached the bed she burst out in tears, putting her arms around his neck.

"I...I killed her..I killed mother..." Ariana said between sobs.

"I know. I know. You didn't mean it though. It was an accident," Dumbledore felt so sad at having to have this conversation a second time. Ariana cried for a good five minutes before she looked up at him.

"You look older Albus," Ariana said sadly.

_If only you knew_, Dumbledore thought. "I know. But I don't have time to explain. Would you like to leave here with me?" Ariana quickly nodded, "Excellent. I have some friends ready to take us away from here."

Dumbledore stood up and realised that his sister was shockingly small. She wouldn't let go of him so, he carried her out of their old house, knowing full well that he would not be going back there.

He saw the four universe travellers sitting on the grass, laughing as he left the house, Ariana still in his arms. They all suddenly looked up at him. He simply nodded.

"Ariana," She looked up at him, "One of my friends will hold out a long piece of wood that you will need to grab. Okay?" Ariana looked at him and nodded, not looking even the slightest bit apprehensive. Luna then held out the staff to everyone. When Dumbledore and Ariana had a hold of it, the staff pulled them back into their own Universe and back to the anniversary of Voldemort's downfall.

**2****nd**** May, 2011**

The people in the Potter household watched as the light took the four away. They all silently held their breath, waiting for them to return with Albus Dumbledore. This time around, it seemed to take perhaps a second longer. But within two seconds of their leaving, the light flashed again and the group collectively gasped.

When they returned, they returned not only with Albus Dumbledore, but the man was carrying with him a young woman, perhaps fourteen years of age. She had long blonde hair and was clinging to Dumbledore with one arm and the staff with the other.

Harry silently scanned the shocked faces of all present until deciding that he would put their minds at ease. "There was a slight change of plans. Our esteemed Headmaster only decided to come with us when we told him we could get someone else. The young woman in his arms is none other than his own sister, Ariana Dumbledore."

Harry watched as the information sunk in. Francis Lovegood seemed to be the only person in the room who was not shocked by that turn of events. Even Xenophilius was surprised. Before everyone could re-introduce themselves to Dumbledore and introduce themselves to Ariana, Harry thought he should talk.

"Before you get into introductions, I would just like to inform you of something that Hermione, Ron and I have decided," Harry said, watching the curious looks on everyone's faces, "As some of you may know, there is a set of muggle books about my life," Neville, Hannah, George, Angelina and Xenophilius looked shocked at this revelation, whereas everyone else knew, "Ron, Hermione and I believe her to be a Seer. But the decision we made is that when we have everyone here, we will read the books as a group. I figure it will help get people up to speed for those that need it. As such, I believe that the knowledge of how anyone who we bring back dies should be kept quiet until such it is mentioned in the books. Also, I think it would be prudent to offer some select people memories."

Murmurs broke out and Harry continued. "We have found out that Yargly's staff contains the power to grant people from alternate universes memories from their counterparts in our universe. I think it might be best to use this magic on my parents, Neville's parents and Teddy's parents. They all will need the knowledge that they actually have a child. I would also think that some might want their memories as well," Harry said looking directly at Dumbledore, "Albus. Would you like the memories from this universe to be added to your own?"

Dumbledore thought for only a few seconds. "Yes. I think I would. But, perhaps, if we are to read the books, for now it may be best if you only give me memories up until before the first book."

Harry nodded and Dumbledore put Ariana down, though she still clung to his side. "That is acceptable, Albus," Haryr began before turning to Luna, "Luna, you can do this can't you?"

"Of course I can Harry," Luna replied almost too absently. She then picked up the staff and turned to Dumbledore, who knelt down on the floor. Luna held out the larger end of the staff and tapped Dumbledore once on each shoulder. As she did so, a long golden stream followed the movements of the staff. When she finished, Dumbledore's eyes glazed over for a moment before a full twinkle returned and Dumbledore looked up at Harry, smiling.

"Of course. Harry Potter," Dumbledore said in an almost awed voice, "It is all over I take it?"

"Yes, Albus. It is. I think we should resume this catch-up later though. We still have many to retrieve."

Albus nodded and turned to Ariana and began talking rushedly in her ear, shock dawning on the pretty young girl's face. Harry turned to Luna.

"Next is my parents," Harry told her and Luna nodded, "I would like Ginny to accompany me as well as Ron and Hermione."

Ginny grabbed her husband's arm reassuringly and Ron and Hermione made their way to Luna and the staff. They all grabbed hold at once and they were gone.

**21 October, 1979**

Harry watched as a house came into focus. A house he had seen all too often, but for the first time on Christmas Eve in 1997. Except now it was not in ruins. It was quite a beautiful house and Harry felt that he really would have enjoyed growing up in a house like that. Not for the first time he felt extremely bitter about the events of October 31st, 1981.

Harry could still feel his wife's grip on his arm and looked to her. Her eyes were as beautiful as ever and Harry could not help but feel happier looking at her. He then looked at his friends as well. Hermione was looking at the house in much the same way Harry was and Ron was looking slightly sentimental as well. Luna looked much the same as she always did, but Harry sensed something else in her large, blue eyes.

"Well...we should go then. This could take a while," Harry said, keeping his voice from breaking. He was about to actually meet his parents. In the flesh. His parents.

All five silently walked up to the front door of the house. As they did, Harry felt the wards. He had been trained to notice such things and found that they were actually not as powerful as he would have expected. Harry reached up and knocked on the large wooden door.

From inside the house, Harry heard a woman's voice say, "Honey! Could you get that?"His mother.

A few very nervous moments passed before Harry saw the door open to reveal a man who looked remarkably similar to himself, brandishing a wand. The wand was pointed right at Harry's head. Inwardly he cringed but he knew what times they were living in at this point and moved past it, silently disarming his father.

"Don't worry, sir. We mean you no harm," Harry heard Hermione say as Harry caught his father's wand.

James Potter looked suitably impressed yet still looked wary. He stared at Harry for a moment before saying, "You know, you like a lot like me."

Harry actually laughed out loud. "Let me guess. The next words out of your mouth were going to be, 'But you have my wife Lily's eyes'?"

The man gaped but nodded. "Who are you?"

"Harry James Potter. Your son," James Potter looked shocked, but still was wary, "Ask me a question that only your son would know. If I answer correctly I will then proceed to clear up the other problems."

James nodded, thinking for a minute. "Who are the Marauders, which one am I and why am I so called?"

Harry grinned. "The Marauders attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry from 1971 to 1977. They were Wormtail, Moony, Padfoot and Prongs. Wormtail was Peter Pettigrew. Moony was Remus Lupin. Padfoot was Sirius Black. And Prongs was James Potter. James Potter was known as Prongs because of his animagus form being a stag. You achieved this because you wanted to because of Remus Lupin's furry little problem."

James Potter took a step backwards and gaped. This man claimed to be his son and did answer everything correctly. "Fine. Okay. Come in."

Harry followed his father down the hallway of the Potter home into a lounge room. He still had Ginny on his arm and behind them Ron, Hermione and Luna followed. When they reached the lounge room they saw Lily Potter sitting on a single chair, brandishing her wand before seeing her husband, open mouthed.

"James! What happened? Who are these people? Why does he look like you?" Lily asked all of this very quickly and Harry couldn't help the happiness he felt.

"He claims to be our son," James said before flopping on a couch. Lily looked at her husband before pointing her wand at Harry.

"In your fifth year, you tried to save Severus Snape from being bullied by James Potter and Sirius Black. James had used the Levicorpus spell on Severus. In return, Severus Snape called you a mudblood," Harry said quickly. Lily lowered her wand, her lower lip quivering.

"How did you know that?" Lily asked quietly.

"In my fifth year I viewed a pensieve memory of the event. The memory was Severus Snape's," Harry said, knowing where this would lead.

"Fifth year? But I haven't even had a child..." Lily paused, recognition filling her eyes, "You're from the future aren't you?" She asked quietly. James' eyes were now widening.

"Yes and no. But before I go on, I think introductions are in order," Harry said smiling. He turned to Ron, "This lanky red-head right here was my first true friend, Ronald Weasley."

Lily's eyes widened in even more shock. "Molly and Arthur's boy?" James asked.

Ron nodded so Harry continued. "This bushy-haired witch is Hermione Weasley née Granger. She is like a sister to me and is also married to Ron."

"Granger?" Lily asked, sounding amazed, "Any relation of Dan Granger?"

Hermione nodded, her eyes also widening. "He's my father. How did you know?"

"I went to school with him before Hogwarts. He was a good friend. We still talk sparingly, though not as often because of Voldemort..." Lily trailed off, James putting a hand on her forearm.

Harry stared at Hermione before continuing, motioning towards Luna. "This here, is Luna Scamander née Lovegood."

"Xeno and Francis' daughter I take it?" James asked.

Luna nodded, but didn't say anything, preferring to stare forward, her eyes slightly glazed.

Harry looked deep into Ginny's eyes, bursting with happiness at what he was going to tell his parents. "And this...this is Ginny Potter née Weasley, my wife."

Harry could see that his mother and father both wanted to accept that and looked very happy for Harry, though both were still apprehensive. "What are you here for?"

Harry sighed and told them everything about Yargly, the staff and the universal travel. Naturally they were both taken aback, but to Harry's surprise his mother accepted this with hardly any problems.

"I had heard whispers of such a staff. I work with Unspeakables in the Department of Mysteries so I hear all sorts of things, and the staff is legend there. No-one has ever managed to find it, though the Unspeakables are certain it exists. And that staff definitely fits the description," Lily said eying the staff carefully.

"Lily. Are you sure?" James asked almost in a whisper, "They could be working for Voldemort."

"They have had every chance to kill us if they were. They would not make up such an elaborate story if they were death eaters," Lily then looked at Harry, "Besides, your son looks so much like you."

Harry beamed at her. "Thank you, mum. I've heard it from so many people before, but to hear it from you is something different."

James looked at him and Harry saw something flicker in his eyes. Happiness? Pride? "And you snagged a smokin' redhead as well!" Lily whacked him on the head as Hermione and Harry chuckled, Ron scowled slightly and Ginny went red.

"Are we to understand that you accept what we are telling you then?" James and Lily shared a look and both nodded at the same time, "Good. Will you come with us to 2011?"

James and Lily were not expecting that. "But won't there be two of us then?" James asked, looking confused. Harry looked at his feet, as did everyone else including Luna.

Lily gasped. "We both die? When?"

"If you decide to come with us you will find out," Harry then told them about the books, "You see, too many friends and family died. We are on retrieval missions. We have already got Luna's mum, Albus Dumbledore and Ariana Dumbledore, Albus' sister."

"Albus had a sister?" Lily asked while James asked, "Dumbledore dies?"

"Yes to both. I really want you to come with us," Harry hugged Ginny, "Plus our kids want to meet their grandparents."

"You two have kids?" Lily asked.

"Three. Two boys, one girl. James Sirius Potter is the eldest at seven, Albus Potter is the next at five," Harry purposely left out Albus' middle name for two reasons. The books and his father's reaction, "While Lily Luna Potter is next at three."

Lily and James beamed but then frowned. "But I don't even remember having you," Lily said sadly.

Harry smiled. "If you agree to come with us, we can give you those memories. The staff can do it."

Lily's face rose. "Really?" Both her and James said at once.

"Yes," Luna replied, "I just have to tap you both with the staff on each shoulder."

"That is," Harry interrupted, "If you agree to come with us."

James and Lily asked to be excused and walked away, into the kitchen to discuss their options. Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Luna sat in silence awaiting Harry's parents' answer.

Five minutes had passed when James and Lily entered the room again. James looked at his son. "We agree."

Harry smiled broadly and looked at Luna. "Give them the memories. Until the afternoon of the day they died. That should be enough."

Luna nodded and moved towards James and Lily who were now both kneeling, holding hands. Luna did Lily first and then James, the same gold flow following the staff's movement. The same glazed look that Harry had seen on Dumbledore's face appeared on his parents before they recovered.

Lily burst out crying and ran towards her son. "Harry! My baby!" She sobbed into his shoulder while James had tears flowing down his face as well. When Lily let go of her son, James then embraced him. Harry felt a hole inside him close up. He had memories of his parents hugging him.

For the next fifteen minutes, James and Lily talked to Harry and his friends and family, who made sure not to let anything important slip. When they finished, Harry told his parents to grab the staff. They did so, Lily holding her sons right hand and Ginny holding his left. Harry felt fully content for the very first time in his life. Soon, the staff activated and a very teary lot left Godric's Hollow.

**2****nd**** May, 2011**

James Potter II, Albus Potter and Lily Potter II watched their parents leave to retrieve their grandparents. James and Albus were the most excited because they fully understood what this really meant. Lily was too young to truly understand. They were going to see their Grandparents for the first time. They were told stories often of their father's parents and longed to know them. And now was their chance.

A second after they left, their mother and father, Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron and Aunt Luna all returned along with a younger couple. The man looked much like their father and the woman was a red-head just like their mother. James, Albus and Lily all looked at their father who was grinning ear to ear. He walked over, scooped up Lily and grabbed Albus' hand. James excitedly walked beside his father as they walked towards their grandparents.

"Mum. Dad. This is Lily, Albus and James. My three children."

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**_Authors Note_**

**I hope that was good enough for you all. I don't really have the time to proofread this so if you see anything send us a PM and we will attempt to rectify it.**

**I hope the inclusion of Luna's mother and Ariana Dumbledore goes over well. I felt that they would have a hard time convincing Dumbledore so they would need to do anything to get him back. Ariana is, in my opinion, the only thing that would have convinced Dumbledore to go along. Thoughts?**

**Also, how do you all feel about us possibly going somewhere different with what the Epilogue of DH told us? For one thing, we don't think that, after reading the books, Albus would be as worried about Slytherin. **

**Please feel free to review and tell us what you like and what you don't like as well. We both like constructive criticism.**

**This entire chapter was brought to you by Beletrium, with storyline assistance from Kuhal.**

**Thanks for reading,**

**Beletrium and Kuhal**


	3. Universal Shift: Part 2

_**Disclaimer**_** - I do not intend any copyright infringement. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. This story is purely for the enjoyment of fanfiction readers and the author. There is not any money being made from this story, nor will there ever be any made.**

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_**Universal Shift: Part 2**_

Harry watched as his parents approached their newfound grandchildren with tears in their eyes. All of the children were immensely happy to be meeting their grandparents for the first time as well. But then Harry had a thought.

He walked to where the kids were and looked to his parents. "Do you mind if I have a talk with my kids for a minute?" James and Lily looked slightly confused but they nodded and went to talk with Dumbledore and Ariana. Harry looked at his kids who were watching him slightly warily, "I just need to tell you that none of you can mention Albus' middle name."

"Why not?" Albus asked indignantly.

Harry sighed. "Your middle name is something very important in the books we are going to read. I can't let anyone who doesn't already know, know that your middle name is Severus. It would be too suspicious."

"Why?" This time it was James who asked.

"Because of what I thought about Severus Snape for a long time. It would seem strange that I named one of my children after him."

"Okay daddy," Lily said flinging her arms around his neck, "We won't say anything," harry knew that was true because his boys would never go against what their little sister said. She was clearly the leader of their little group. Harry gave all of his kids a kiss and handed them back over to the grandparents who were still teary-eyed.

Luna, who had been watching Harry talk to his kids, turned her dreamy eyes to the list of names and smiled at Neville and Hannah. "I believe that it's your turn, Neville. Your parents are next."

Neville smiled nervously, and turned to his wife, "Hannah, you are coming with me, aren't you?"

Hannah smiled back, "Of course, darling. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Thanks, I will probably need the support," Neville said, as tears started slowly falling down his face. He was thinking about all the times he had seen his parents in St. Mungo's and how he had never been able to actually connect with them. He actually had that chance. He had long since lost hope, particularly when his parents had both passed away in 2007.

"Neville, are you ready?" Luna asked quietly, staff in hand. Neville nodded and stood up. They had talked earlier about where to go to get Neville's parents.

Hermione, Ginny and Angelina all hugged him before Ron and George patted him on the shoulder. Harry who had, over the years, become very close to Neville, pulled him in for a hug. "You'll be fine mate," He said as he let go of Neville. Albus was close to his father and looked up at his crying godfather. The five year old stepped in and hugged him. "You'll be ok, won't you, Uncle Neville?"

Neville looked fondly at Harry's son. "Of course, Al. Can't leave you without a godfather, can I now?" Neville and Albus shared a small laugh, and Neville took his wife's hand as they reached out and grabbed the staff in Luna's hands.

**21****st**** October, 1979**

Neville, Hannah and Luna appeared in front a deserted alley. Hannah grabbed Neville's hand out of nerves, due to the fact that it was very dark. "Neville, where are we?"

"My grandmother showed me the house where my parents were living in, here in Hogsmeade, to let me know them a little better before I went to Hogwarts," Neville said quietly, a tinge of sadness swept through his voice, "But it only scared me."

"It'll be okay, Nev," Hannah whispered, "We'll save them."

"Lead the way, Neville," Luna spoke up from behind them. She had shortened the staff to the size of a normal wand and placed it in a pocket.

Neville nodded, and, holding his wife's hand, he walked towards the Longbottom's house. Near the centre of the village, a small, cottage-like house stood, identical to the houses surrounding it. A light shone out of the window on the far left hand side, and Neville gasped; his grandmother told him that his parents were found in that room. He gulped, and walked towards the front door, but hesitated when he got there.

"What's wrong, honey?" Hannah said, as she tightened her grip on his hand.

"They'll ask a question," Neville sighed.

"Yeah, of course they will. Why is that a problem?"

"They'll ask one to make me prove I am who I say I am."

"So?"

"What if I can't answer it?" Neville asked, his voice quavering.

"Neville, look at me," Hannah said, pulling her husband to look at her, "You've told me story after story of your parents. Their lives as Aurors. How much they cared about the people they loved. How they cared about you. You know them better than anyone else, maybe even more than they do. That was one thing your Grandmother did as you were growing up, telling you all about your parents. Be confident, Neville."

Neville smiled and nodded at Hannah, turned, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. A man's voice was heard behind the door a minute later, and Neville knew that he had heard his father's voice. The man asked, "What name do we have picked out for a son, and how did we choose it?"

Neville smiled inwardly, and confidently responded with, "You chose Neville, and you decided on that name because it is the name of a powerful English family," to which Hannah smiled up at him, and whispered that it suited him.

Frank Longbottom opened the door a little, and frowned at the three strangers on the doorstep. "Haven't seen you people before. I guess if you know that, you know Mother, so come in," he said, allowing the trio to walk in.

Neville stared at his father's face. Frank was just like he saw in pictures, and younger than the one he knew at St. Mungo's. His father, although studying them, looked happy. His brown hair was receding slightly, and his ears were sticking out. He had narrow cheeks, which defined most of his face. In short, he looked nothing like Neville.

At this point, Alice Longbottom entered the room. "Hello, I don't believe we've met. I'm Alice Longbottom, and this is my husband, Frank. Are you friends of Augusta?" she asked with a smile. Her face was round, with pointed ears. Her hair, just as Neville had remembered, was cut short. She was definitely Neville's mother.

"I guess you could say that," Neville chuckled, then looked at his mother, "I-uh…"

"Nev, you can tell them," Hannah whispered.

Neville sighed. "I'm your son, Neville."

Both Alice and Frank gasped, then pulled there wands out and disarmed Hannah, Neville and Luna. Luna looked airily at the two Aurors, Hannah was shocked, but Neville had expected it, and allowed his parents to take his wand. Of course they would be sceptical. Who wouldn't after hearing that?

Frank then growled at him in a tone Neville never thought he'd ever hear from his father. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but we do not have a son. How dare you-"

"You don't yet!" Neville yelled to interrupt him, and turned to Alice, "You give birth on 30 July 1980, to me, Neville."

"DON'T LIE!" Frank screamed, and Neville cowered under his hateful glare, which he seemed to have inherited from his mother, "You are an imposter! Who are you?"

"Honey," Alice whispered, her voice trembling, "He isn't lying. I don't know how this is possible, but he is our son."

"Alice, you can't be serious!"

"I can tell when I'm being lied to, Frank. He-He's telling the truth."

Frank leaned on the wall, and rubbed his head, allowing Neville to explain before he lost his temper again, "Listen, we, Hannah, Luna and I, are from the year 2011, and-"

"No. Impossible," Frank said suddenly.

"Please, hear me out," Neville pleaded, and, when Frank reluctantly nodded, he continued, "That wand, the one you took off Luna," he said, pointing to the dreamy-eyed blonde behind him, "Belonged to a great wizard called Yargly."

Frank looked confused, but Alice gasped, and looked at Neville with a shocked look on her face, "You jumped universes?"

Frank then gasped, as Neville just smiled. "Yes, we did. Mum, Dad, we've come to save you."

"Save us? From what?" Frank asked, now partially believing the story, but obviously not completely.

"You don't bring me up. That's all I am allowed to tell you at this point. A lady in our universe has written these books, and they can tell the story better than any of us. We think she is both a squib and a Seer. Now, there is something else. As you don't remember me, this may be a little awkward, but… Luna can give you the memories you would have up until a certain point, in our universe. You see, our universe is the primary one."

Alice and Frank looked at the three, and Alice said, "Can we discuss this for a moment?"

"Of course," was Neville's reply. As his parents left the room, he pulled Hannah in to a big hug. "It's them, Hannah! It's really them!"

"Nev, I'm so happy for you!" she exclaimed, but them looked at her husband, "But how did your mum know you were telling the truth?"

"Oh, right. Mum's a highly skilled Legilimens. She didn't look into my memories, but she can tell when she is being lied to. It's easy to do when you learn legilimency"

"Oh, okay. I was confused, that's all," Hannah said, and kissed her husband.

"I thought the Flufflewumps told her," Luna said airily. Both Neville and Hannah gave her a strange look, which she didn't seem to notice.

Alice and Frank re-entered the room, and looked at Neville. Alice spoke first, "As strange as this may be, I believe you. I would like my memories. However, if it doesn't work, Frank will not."

"I partially believe you, but only 'cause Alice does," Frank spoke up.

"Wouldn't expect anything less," Neviile smiled, and said, "Now, to do this, Luna needs the staff back."

Alice returned the shrunken staff to Luna, who instantly resized it. "Now, Mrs. Longbottom, if you could please get on one knee before me," Luna instructed, and Alice followed, "This may tingle a little."

Luna reached the end of the staff out and touched Alice's left shoulder, and then her right, a golden stream following the staff's path. Her eyes glazed over slightly for a second, but then she looked up at Neville, her eyes lighting up. "Neville!" she said as she hugged her son for the first time.

"Mum…" Neville started crying, as Frank looked absolutely gobsmacked, but, without a word, he got on one knee, and Luna performed the same ritual on him.

When he stood, he looked at his son and smiled. "Hello, son," he said lovingly, and hugged his son and wife.

After the reunion, Neville turned to Hannah. "Mum, Dad, this is my wife, Hannah Longbottom."

"Oh, Neville, she's gorgeous!" Alice exclaimed, making Hannah blush, as Alice hugged her too.

"Well done, Neville. She looks like a great girl," Frank said, and patted Neville on the back.

"We really need to get going, Neville," Luna told him.

"Right. Well, Mum, Dad, just hold onto the staff, and Luna can take us back," Neville said. He couldn't believe it. He had his parents. They all grabbed the staff, and, with a familiar tug of the navel, they disappeared.

**2****nd**** May, 2011**

Neville felt his feet hit the carpet of Harry and Ginny's house. He had a massive smile plastered on his face. He looked around the room and saw everyone looking at him and his parents. Neville felt that he had only ever been happier on one other occasion, his wedding day.

"Everyone," Neville said loudly and happily, "I give you my parents," The crowd of people descended on Neville, Hannah, Frank and Alice. Neville was happily introducing everyone for ages. Neville was so happy when his mother had commented that he had made some brilliant friends.

Frank and Alice had gone to talk with James and Lily, so Neville went aside and talked to Harry. "Well Nev," Harry said, "How does it feel to have your parents?"

"Absolutely brilliant, Harry. I think I've only ever been happier on my wedding day," Neville said giddily, "I could ask the same of you really. What's it like to have your parents finally?"

"Amazing, Nev," Harry said, looking over at his parents who were happily talking to Neville's, "I feel like a childhood fantasy has come true for me."

Neville and Harry talked for a few more minutes before Harry decided that he should get going and walked over to Luna. On the way he looked at Teddy who was playing with James, Albus and Lily. Harry smiled but knew the boy was simply waiting his turn.

"Okay, Luna. I think we should go get Hedwig now. July 30th, 1991 and make it somewhere close to the Leaky Cauldron," Harry said to the girl who was in a conversation with her parents.

"Of course, Harry. I always liked that owl," Luna said with a smile. She held out the staff which Harry promptly grabbed and felt the pull on his navel.

**30****th**** July, 1991**

Harry and Luna appeared in something of an alleyway in London. Harry looked at Luna, who seemed fascinated by something on the ground. "Come on, Luna. We've got to get to the Leaky Cauldron," Harry said to Luna which caused her to look up from the ground.

"Of course, Harry. I was just admiring the Flugenscrad on the ground here," Luna said, looking again at the ground in front of her, "They can cure heat stroke you know?"

"That's good Luna but we really have to get going," Harry insisted, wondering, not for the first time, whether Luna was absolutely crazy. Luna looked up again, shortened the staff to the length of a wand and, much to Harry's surprise, took Harry's hand and led him out of the alleyway.

The alleyway was not far from the Leaky Cauldron so they didn't have to spend too much time getting there. Harry absently made sure that his fringe was covering his scar, not even thinking that, at that point in time, he would only be eleven years old, and wouldn't be recognised as a thirty-one year old.

As they walked past the record store that flanked the historic pub, Harry saw the door that he had first seen when he was eleven years old with Hagrid. Muggles still walked past it, not able to see a building at all. When they reached it, Luna opened the door. As they walked in, Harry's first thought was that Hannah sure had done a lot with it once she bought it. The room was dark and dank. In fact, Harry thought it was actually a bit depressing.

Tom looked up from behind the bar when he heard the two enter the pub. "And who might you two be then?" He asked politely.

Luna answered before Harry could. "My name is Laura and this is Harold," she said pointing at Harry, "We just need to go through to Diagon Alley."

"Oh, of course," Tom replied, pointing towards a door to the back of the pub, "Just go through there and touch the brick three up and two across from the trashcan."

Naturally, Harry knew this but just smiled at the old bartender who would die in thirteen years. Suddenly, Harry felt profoundly sad but Luna grabbed his hand again and pulled him towards the door to the back of the pub.

Harry pulled out his wand and quickly touched the correct brick without even thinking about it. The wall soon wriggled away, revealing Diagon Alley in all its glory. Harry couldn't help but remember what Diagon Alley became during the war. It was nothing like what it was as Harry and Luna looked at it, or even what it was back in 2011. Of course, it was not back to full strength and was missing some of it's shops and residents such as Florean Fortescue but it was better than it was in 1997.

Harry quickly stepped past the wall and into Diagon Alley. It was extremely busy, but Harry knew precisely where to go. Luna at his side, they headed to Eeylops Owl Emporium.

When they entered the owl-filled shop something amazing happened. Harry felt something land on his shoulder and nibble at his ear. He heard Luna giggle as Harry turned to see his snowy owl, Hedwig. Even after that long, Hedwig was still finding ways to impress Harry. Harry gave her a rub on the neck and went to the front desk where a young girl, probably fresh out of Hogwarts was standing ready to take Harry's money.

"Wow," the girl remarked looking at Hedwig, "That was very quick. Most people take ages to choose an owl, let alone the owl choosing them."

"Well," Harry began, smiling at the girl behind the counter, "I've always had an affinity for being rather unique," _Understatement of the century_, Harry thought wryly.

Harry paid the girl a few galleons and soon left, with Luna playing with Hedwig fondly. Soon they were back at the Leaky Cauldron, which caused Tom to look suspicious.

"Just had to get an owl, Tom," Harry said, waving goodbye as he exited the large black door. Harry and Luna walked past the record store and into the nearby alleyway. Luna pulled out the staff and enlarged it. Hedwig instinctively flew over to the staff and landed on it while Harry, once again, was amazed at how much his bird knew. Harry placed his hand on the staff and they were off.

**2****nd**** May 2011**

Harry felt his feet hit the ground of his house once again and he looked around at the group around him, which was pretty much exactly the same as he left it before. By the end of the day, his house would be very full. Not only would the 'universe travellers' be there but, if all went to plan, so would a lot of other people as well. Harry looked at his godson who seemed to be pacing around the room, obviously anxiously waiting to get his parents. Harry felt rather bad for Teddy at that point. The wait must be unbearable. Luckily the whole process only seemed to take a few seconds in their universe so Teddy wouldn't have to wait terribly long.

Sometime during his musings, Ginny had come over to him and was ruffling Hedwig's feathers. Harry smiled at his wife and looked at his kids who were looking at him expectantly.

"Hey, girl," Harry said to his owl, "How about you go and meet my kids?" With that Hedwig flew off of Harry's shoulder and landed on the floor near James, Albus and Lily. Harry wanted to sit back and watch his children play with Hedwig but he knew he had to talk to his mother about the next person to be retrieved. He quickly sought her out and walked to where she was standing.

"Mum?" Lily turned to face him, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course, honey," Lily said, smiling at her son. Suddenly Harry felt like he was a child again. Lily walked away from the conversation she was having with James, Frank and Alice and walked with Harry, "What did you need to talk about, Harry?"

Harry sighed. "I need you to retrieve someone for us," Harry said quietly.

"Who?"

"Severus Snape," Harry said quietly, anticipating his mother's reaction. Lily visibly paled.

"Sev…he died?" She asked, with pain in her voice.

"Yes he did," Harry said sadly, "But I can't tell you when or how without ruining the books."

Lily looked at her son in resignation before sighing. "I understand. But why do you need me to go and get him? Why not you?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea," Harry said, not wanting to reveal too much about the story, "I think it would be best if it were you and Dumbledore."

Lily nodded. "Go and get Albus then. I want to leave as soon as possible," Lily said slightly fiercely.

Harry smiled at her. "Of course. Just go and let Luna know that you are ready to go and that you are only waiting for Albus."

Lily nodded and Harry left to find Dumbledore who was talking to James, Alice and Frank. Ariana still had not left her big brother's side. Harry approached him, looking sadly at Ariana. She had been through so much. What could he do for her?

"Albus," Harry said as Dumbledore whirled around to face him, smiling, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course, Harry my boy," Dumbledore quickly shook the hand of Frank Longbottom and briefly hugged Alice as well before Harry led him and Ariana aside.

"Albus. I need you to go with my mother to retrieve Severus," Harry said getting to the point.

Albus nodded, smiling. "I figured I would be retrieving him. What will be the date we go to?"

"August 31st, 1991. Before the year I would go into first year," Harry said.

"May I ask why that particular date?"

Harry smiled sadly. "Without giving too much away, after he met me, he didn't much like me. I figured it would be in his best interest to get a different opinion of me straight away."

Dumbledore frowned but nodded. "Am I to understand you know the nature of Severus' relationship with your mother and that is why you are sending her?" When Harry nodded, Dumbledore smiled, "Of course, I will go. But I must ask you to keep Ariana company while I am away."

Harry looked at the young blonde girl who was smiling shyly at him. "Of course, Albus. I would be happy to," Harry smiled at Ariana before turning back to Albus, "I think it might be best if you allowed Luna to use the staff to age you to the age you would be on that day. I think we should minimise the shock as much as possible for Severus. All you need to do is go and talk to Luna. She will do everything necessary."

Dumbledore nodded, so Harry walked with him towards the airy blonde woman who was now talking to her mother about some weird creature. Lily was listening in, with a bewildered look on her face.

"Luna," Harry said. The blonde looked up at him with her large blue eyes, "It's almost time for you to go. But before you do, you need to age Albus to the age he would be on the 31st of August, 1991."

Luna nodded and smiled. "I was looking forward to this," She said giddily. She picked up the staff which was leaning against a chair near her and waved it in front of Dumbledore. "_Super plures annus_" Luna said and waved the staff up and down Dumbledore's body once. When she was finished there was a flash of light and then Dumbledore was standing in front of them, looking almost precisely as he did when Harry first saw him all those years ago.

Ariana jumped slightly and moved a little away from Dumbledore and closer to Harry. Apparently she felt relatively safe around him as well. Dumbledore down and, upon seeing his extremely long beard, chuckled. "Boy, I sure get wise-looking don't I?"

Harry, Luna, Francis, Lily and even Ariana laughed. "You know Albus, there were some times where I thought that was what you were going for," Harry replied laughing.

After a minute, Dumbledore spoke. "Well, I think we should get going don't you?" Lily and Luna nodded. Luna stood up and extended the staff. Dumbledore and Lily grasped it and within a second they both disappeared with Luna in a flash of light. Ariana had moved a little closer to Harry, scared what would happen without Albus close by her.

**31****st**** August, 1991**

Dumbledore and Luna arrived around the staff with Lily. Lily looked around to view her surroundings. They had appeared in Hogwarts, outside of Professor Slughorn's old office in the dungeons. Lily was slightly confused as to why they were here so she looked at Albus for an explanation.

"I guess Harry did not inform you where you would be going then?' Lily shook her head so Albus continued, "Just after you were attacked I hired Severus as a Potions Professor. At this point he had been the Professor for ten years."

Lily thought for a second. "That would make this 1991? The year Harry went to Hogwarts?"

Dumbledore nodded. "This is the day before he came here. August 31st," Lily nodded so Dumbledore said, "Well shall we go?" and knocked on the large door. The door opened by itself and Lily heard a familiar drawling voice.

"Come in."

Lily entered the room in trepidation as to what she would see. When she did she saw Severus sitting in a large black chair, facing a roaring fire. She felt a little happier knowing how little Severus had changed over the years.

"There had better be a good reason for interrupting me," Severus said coldly, "I don't like to have my brooding interrupted. You know that the students are returning tomorrow and–" Severus had turned in his chair at that point and looked directly at Lily, not even acknowledging the presence of Albus and Luna, "Lily?"

"Hi, Sev," Lily really didn't know what to say. What do you say to someone who knew that you were dead for ten years?

"Is it really you?" Severus sounded as if he were almost pleading.

"You and I met before we went to Hogwarts. You were the one to tell me I was a witch," Lily said, hoping Severus would accept that.

Severus rose from his seat and walked towards Lily. "But…but how?"

"I think Albus might be able to explain it better than me," Lily said motioning for Albus to talk.

"Severus, what I am about to tell you will seem very strange, but you must believe me," Severus nodded apprehensively as Albus continued, "We, as in myself, Lily and this young woman, Luna, here have come from the year 2011."

Severus' jaw dropped, which was a sight that almost made Lily laugh. She had never seen that look on his face before. "But…no…you shouldn't be here. You will mess things up!" Severus sounded panicked.

"No we won't Severus," At Severus' confused look Dumbledore sighed, "You see that staff that Luna has in her hands?" Severus nodded as the blonde held out the long, rune-covered staff, "That staff has all of the powers of Yargly. I assume you know about Yargly?"

Severus' jaw dropped again. "You cannot be serious, Headmaster."

"Oh, but I am Severus," Albus smiled, his eyes twinkling merrily, "That staff allows us to travel across universes. A group of adults from 2011, Luna Scamander," he motioned to Luna, "Neville Longbottom, Hannah Longbottom, George Weasley, Angelina Weasley, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Weasley, Ginevra Potter and Harry Potter decided to use this staff to 'retrieve' people from other universes who were lost in the First and Second Wars."

Severus paled, realising what that meant for him. Dumbledore continued. "You know that Lily and James were two of the casualties from the First, and they have been retrieved. As have Frank and Alice Longbottom and myself," Severus paled even further if that were possible at the thought of Albus dying.

"How do I die?" Severus croaked.

"Alas, I do not know. I do not even know how I died. Harry and the others have decided to keep that from us, as most will be revealed in a set of books we plan to read," Albus said smiling.

"Books?" Severus was becoming angry, Lily could tell, "They want us to read books?"

Dumbledore remained calm. "Yes, they do. They would prefer to get everything right instead of telling us only what they remember. These books were apparently written by a Seer who is also a squib. Quite interesting, if I do say so myself."

Severus calmed down and looked at Lily. "What do you think about all of this?"

Lily shrugged a little. "I get to be with my son and my grandkids. I get a second chance at life. And, those books will give me an insight into how my son grew up."

Severus nodded sombrely. "Who else are they retrieving?"

Lily and Dumbledore hadn't seen the list so Luna spoke up. "Well, Professor Snape, we still have fifteen people to gather. After you that is. After we have gathered everyone, we will begin reading the books. There will be quite a crowd by then. We estimate between fifty and seventy people at any one time," Luna said all this very airily and this unnerved Severus visibly.

Severus looked deep into Lily's emerald green eyes and sighed. "So you give me a choice to stay here and die, or leave and potentially live a long and happy life?" Lily vaguely wondered whether Severus _could_ be happy, "Is that really a choice?"

Dumbledore chuckled and shook his head. "No. I suppose it isn't.

"What do I have to do?" Severus asked no one in particular.

"Just grab onto the staff," Lily said, feeling better that Severus was returning with them. Severus looked at her strangely, "Just trust me."

Severus nodded and grabbed the staff. Lily and Albus followed suit and soon they all felt a pull on their navel.

**2****nd**** May, 2011**

James was talking to Frank and Alice Longbottom when his son pulled Lily aside. At the time, James didn't think anything of it and let them go without a fuss. After all, a boy would surely miss his mother more than his father, right?

He was then joined by Albus Dumbledore and his sister Ariana Dumbledore. James was surprised when he heard that Albus even had a sister. James noticed that she was very shy around pretty much everyone except Albus. Albus talked to Frank and Alice more so than James because they had only just returned.

Soon, Harry pulled Dumbledore aside and James became a little suspicious of what was going on. James quickly scanned the room for his beautiful wife and found her talking to Luna and Luna's mother. James turned back to Frank and Alice until he saw the room light up, which indicated Luna had taken some people on a 'retrieval' mission. He whirled around and saw that Albus and Lily were missing.

"Where did–" James was cut off by the next flash of light which meant that they had all returned. The light blinded him for a second but when he could see them he was absolutely shocked, "Snivellus!"

Severus Snape glared at James. A glare that James had not seen since leaving school. All James knew was that Snape was a Death Eater and couldn't be trusted. Quickly, James had his wand trained on Snape.

"Ah, Potter. As always, you are brash and arrogant enough to think I mean you harm," Snape sneered as Lily rushed to James and started whispering things to him that James did not hear.

"You work for Voldemort, Snivellus!" James shouted, "Why should I not assume you mean me harm?"

Snape simply sneered at him again. "Obviously your brain hasn't developed since leaving Hogwarts, Potter. What you _should_ realise is that your _son_ sent to have me retrieved. Are you implying that you don't trust your son's judgment?"

James lowered his wand slightly. He had not considered that. "O-of course I trust his judgment. But you _are_ a Death Eater."

"'Was', you imbecile," Snape said exasperatedly, "I _was_ a Death Eater."

Dumbledore then spoke up. "He's right James. After you and Lily were killed, he turned spy for us. He has been on our side since."

James still eyed Snape warily but put away his wand. He was really getting annoyed at the sneers Snape was giving him. He calmed down enough to pay attention to his wife who started giving him a thorough talking to about correct behaviour.

Harry was not surprised at his father's reaction. In fact, it could actually be justified. Snape _was_ a Death Eater when his mother and father were alive, so that is, naturally, what James would assume. Of course, Harry knew that his father would need more convincing. As would a lot of people, especially around the sixth book.

During the whole ordeal, Harry was focused so much on his father and Snape, he did not notice that Ariana had her arms wrapped around his waist and was slightly shaking. When Harry did notice, he looked down at the girl and smiled. This seemed to calm her down a bit.

"Don't worry Ariana," Harry said to the girl, "I expected that to happen."

Ariana looked thoughtful for a minute and then spoke for the first time that Harry could remember. "Thank you," she said in a quiet, melodic voice.

Harry was perplexed. "What for?"

"For being here for me when Albus couldn't be," She said simply before quickly going over to Albus who was watching the two, beaming. It was obvious that Ariana was not one to trust someone as much as she seemed to trust Harry.

The room had an awkward silence, except for the sound of Harry's mother's angry whispers to his father. Harry figured it was time to 'retrieve' someone else. Next in line was Cedric Diggory.

Harry could still remember the night that Cedric died and often still had nightmares about it. It was really the only death in the whole war that he couldn't shake guilt from. Harry had even realised that Sirius had not been killed because of Harry. Cedric was. Harry knew that this retrieval could well be one of the hardest he would face because of all the guilt he still felt.

Harry and the others had worked out early on, pretty much as soon as they decided they would get Cedric, that it would be Harry and Hannah who would get him. Cedric at least trusted Harry and Hannah had told them that Cedric had become her unofficial tutor in her early years at Hogwarts. They were the obvious choice. Hannah also felt that she would be able to locate him easily.

Harry walked to where Luna and Hannah were talking together, about the 'retrieval mission' no doubt. When he got there, both blondes looked up at him, smiling. "You ready to go?" Harry asked both of them. Both nodded quickly.

"Yeah. Let's go Harry," Hannah said, her eyes burning. It was obvious that Cedric's death affected her as well, more so than a lot of people. Harry could sympathise. Luna was just looking at the staff when Harry and Hannah placed their hands on it and with a flash they were gone.

**29 May, 1995**

Harry, Luna and Hannah appeared outside the Hogwarts Library, let go of the staff, and entered in a single file line. Luna quickly shortened the staff as Hannah whispered, "Some of us Hufflepuff girls followed Cedric wherever he went," and then giggled, adding "But don't tell Neville that. His usual spot is over here."

In a corner of the large book collection, Cedric was sitting comfortably, reading a book on spells, presumably ones he would go on to use in the maze. Harry smiled warmly, for a long time he wished to see Cedric again, to apologize, and now he could. He gave Hannah a nod, who nodded back, and gave a nervous cough. Cedric looked up in surprise. "Who are you?"

"You really won't believe us when we tell you," Harry said.

"Try me," Cedric said politely.

"Well, I'm Harry Potter, this," Harry pointed to Hannah, "Is Hannah Abbot and this," Harry pointed to Luna, "Is Luna Lovegood."

"Harry? Hannah? But you look too old. What's going on? Why is Luna here? Is Cho okay?" Cedric was frantic.

"She's fine, Cedric," Harry said as confidently as possible, but he felt as though his insides were churning from his guilt over Cedric's death, "We're actually here to talk to you about something of immense importance."

Cedric blinked. "Harry, what's up? What are you all doing here? And why do you look so old?"

"Oh. Right," Harry stammered, "Well, Hannah knew you would be here," he nodded to Hannah again, who was blushing like crazy, "And Luna is our ticket home."

"Home? You feeling ok, Harry?"

"I feel great, Cedric. Never better," Harry lied, "Listen to me. This might – no, it will – sound crazy, but I have to tell you," Harry sighed, and looked unwaveringly into Cedric's eyes, "We're here to save you."

"Save me? Harry," Cedric laughed, "I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself."

"Not from this, you're not," Harry snapped back, causing Cedric to flinch at the venom in his voice, "Cedric, look at me. See my face? How old do you think I am?"

Cedric paused for a few seconds, and then gasped, "Maybe...thirty? Wait...You... You're from the future?"

Harry smiled to himself, "Right in one. In a way, yes. Cedric yes, we are from the future but it is more complicated than that."

"Why?" Cedric asked, finally placing the book on the desk nearest him.

"We aren't simply from the future. Luna, if you would?"

Luna nodded, pulled the shortened staff out of her pocket and extended it. "This staff came from a powerful wizard called Yargly," Harry said, though Cedric looked confused, "Yargly was around hundreds of years ago. He found ways to do many things people thought, and still think, are impossible. One of those things is to jump across universes."

Cedric's eyes widened. "So you jumped across a universe _and _went back in time?" Harry nodded, "Why exactly?"

"We come from the year 2011. Luna was given this staff by Yargly himself on the anniversary of the Final Battle from the Second War."

"S-second War?" Cedric stammered.

"Yes. In fact it begins with the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament," Harry said sadly, "You are the first casualty of the Second War."

Cedric paled. "And you are here to stop me from being killed?"

Harry leaned on a bookcase. "Not exactly. We want you to come with us back to our universe and our time. We are doing the same for a select group of the casualties of the First and Second Wars."

"How do I die?" Cedric croaked. Harry sighed wondering how many times he would have to hear this and avoid answering.

"I can't tell you," Cedric looked confused so Harry continued, "In our time, a squib has written books about my school years at Hogwarts. We think she is a Seer. We plan on reading the books with all of the people we have 'retrieved'."

"And why is Hannah here again?" Cedric asked.

Hannah blushed. "I was the only one who would have been able to find you," she said quietly.

Cedric looked around tentatively, but finally nodded. "Okay. But what do I need to do, Harry?"

Luna spoke up, holding out the staff, "Take hold of this. All will be explained in due time, Mr. Diggory."

"Ok. Harry, I'm trusting you," Cedric told Harry, as all four people took hold of the staff, and disappeared with a flash of light.

**2****nd**** May 2011**

As the four appeared back at the Potter household, Harry instantly instructed Ginny to contact Cho. As Ginny disapparated, Cedric looked at everyone in the room, noticing they were much older with the exception of a few people he didn't recognise.

"Harry, exactly who is here right now?" Cedric asked nervously.

"Well you saw Ginny Weasley, I married her a few years after the end of the war. We have three kids, James, Albus and Lily. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are over there. They have two kids, Rose and Hugo. Hannah married Neville Longbottom. And George Weasley married Angelina Johnson," Harry made sure to go through them first. Harry saw Cedric's confusion at why Fred wasn't mentioned and then his eyes fell. Harry continued, "The first people we got were Albus Dumbledore and his sister Ariana. Then we went and got my parents, James and Lily, then Neville's parents, Alice and Frank. Finally we got Severus Snape as well but I don't see him around anywhere."

"Who else are you going to get?" Cedric asked. Harry knew he was really asking who else died.

"We have a list," Harry said cryptically.

Cedric nodded. "Sixteen years, huh? Wow..." Cedric took another look around, and sighed, "I bet Cho moved on..."

"I heard that she was dating a muggle, but I don't think it worked out," Angelina replied. Apparently she had walked up from behind Harry. She smiled at his response. He was instantly brighter, his eyes lighting up.

"I may still have a chance with her? Even now?" he asked hopefully.

There was a sudden pop from behind him. "You do, Ced," Cho said, smiling as tears rolled down her cheeks. It'd been years, but Ginny said not to tell them anything, as they had a plan for everyone, including the kids, to learn what had happened. "Now I see you again... Nothing has changed."

"Cho..." Cedric, who saw his Cho minutes ago, was taken aback. Cho Chang had grown into a beautiful woman. Her hair now cut to medium length, she seemed, to Cedric, to radiate beauty. "You look... amazing..."

"And you look the same," Cho chuckled, "And I promise, when this is over, things will be just like old times."

Harry decided to go and talk to his parents, as he knew that Sirius was next on the list. He was really excited about 'retrieving' Sirius, perhaps more so than he was about his parents. Sirius was like a father to him, albeit there wasn't much time for them to bond. Harry really missed him.

Harry sought out his parents. His mother was still angry with her husband and was still whispering angrily to him. Harry truly hoped that his father could put his hatred behind him eventually.

"Mum? Dad?" James and Lily looked at him expectantly, "I think you should both come with me for the next one."

Both James and Lily looked confused. "Why's that?"

Harry sighed. "We're going to get Sirius."

James and Lily paled at the same time but didn't ask the question. Instead James stood up, his eyes blazing. "When do we leave?"

Harry smiled, having already planned something before. "Soon, Dad. Before we do, I need to ask you, did you bring your Invisibility Cloak with you?"

James nodded. "I always have it on me. Just in case," And then he realised what Harry was going to say, "You want to _prank_ Sirius?" He asked incredulously.

Harry grinned evilly. "Of course. You see, now that I know you have your cloak, that means we have two. I have the one passed down to me when I was in my first year. I can give that one to you, mum, and dad can use his," Harry then went on to detail the plan he came up with, leaving out any details that would be in any of the books. He had to tell them about Grimmauld Place, though.

By the end, both of his parents were grinning. Harry led them to where Luna was sitting. "Okay, Luna. Sirius is next. You know where and when to take us to," Harry said happily and Luna nodded and held out the staff. Lily, James and Harry grabbed the staff and disappeared in a flash of light.

**13 May, 1996**

Harry, along with his mother and father and Luna appeared inside an unused room in Number 12, Grimmauld Place. Harry couldn't help but chuckle when he saw the state of the house. In comparison to what Winky had done to the house when she cleaned it, Grimmauld Place was absolutely hideous.

Harry had made Winky his elf the morning after he defeated Voldemort. He had woken up late, so went to the kitchens to get some breakfast and he found Winky who was acting a lot like Dobby had when he had been alive. Because of this, Harry decided to ask her if she would like to be his elf, and she accepted. However, much to Hermione's dismay, she would not take pay or days off.

At Harry's chuckling, Lily and James looked at him strange. Harry waved them off. "When we get back I'll show you what Grimmauld Place is like now," Harry said grinning, "Oh, and you might want to be quiet when we go downstairs. You don't want to wake up old Walburga."

Harry chuckled but James, Lily and Luna all looked confused. Harry motioned for James and Lily to put on the now identical invisibility cloaks. It was then that Harry realised there were now two of two of the Hallows. That made him slightly concerned.

Harry led Luna and his invisible parents out of the room and towards the stairs that led downwards. They all quietly walked down the stairs so as to not wake up Sirius' mother in the process. When they reached the end of the stairs Harry could see Sirius asleep on one of the lounge chairs. Harry smirked.

Using his Auror skills, Harry slowly closed in on Sirius. When he got there he pointed his wand at him and whispered, "_Aguamenti_" to which a stream of water hit Sirius in the face, waking him up instantly.

Sirius lept up in surprise and soon had his wand on Harry and Luna. Harry could see something in Sirius' eyes which showed that Sirius at least thought he knew who Harry was.

"Who are you?" Sirius shouted.

"Well, Padfoot. I think you know me. I seem to be your esteemed godson," Harry was still smirking at a very wet Sirius but continued, "And this lovely woman is Luna Scamander."

"I don't believe you!" Sirius yelled, but Harry could tell that he didn't really believe a word he had said.

"The Marauders were Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs who were Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black and James Potter respectively. You were called those names because Remus was a werewolf and the rest of you became Animagi to help him with it. You take the form of a rather large black dog which I, in my third year, mistook as a grim. Wormtail was a rat in more ways than one. James Potter's Animagus form was a Stag," Harry smirked as realization dawned on his godfather's unshaven face, "Good enough for you?"

Sirius lowered his wand. "I guess so. That sounded terribly rehearsed, you know that, right?"

Harry smiled knowing that if Sirius was joking around that meant that he was no going to be blasted into next year. "Oh, yes. I know."

"Why do you look so old? Some aging potion?" Sirius asked curiously as Luna studied him intently, possibly comparing him to Stubby Boardman.

"Not at all," Harry replied, grinning evilly, "Would you believe that I am actually from the year 2011?"

Sirius' eyes widened. "If it were anyone else, I wouldn't believe you for a second," He said exasperatedly, "But I know you. The impossible tends to follow you around doesn't it?" He was smirking at this point.

"Oh, my dear Padfoot, you don't know the half of it," Harry sighed and realised that he should hurry up the explanation as he felt an invisible elbow hit his arm, "We are not only from the future but from another universe as well."

Sirius' eyes widened even further. "Alternate universes? But how?"

"Oh, it's quite simple, really," Luna said. Trust Luna to think this was simple, "We used this," She held up the staff, "Have you ever heard of Yargly?"

Sirius shook his head so Luna continued. "Yargly lived hundreds of years ago and was the only person to ever perfect jumping across universes. In fact, if he had a few more years, he might have even surpassed Merlin himself in strength," Sirius just listened intently, "At some time or another, no one really knows for sure when, he put all of his magic in this very staff. That is how we were able to come across to this universe.

"You see, where we come from, it is the original universe. The one that all other universes come from. What we have set out to do, is 'retrieve' people who were lost as casualties of both the First and Second Wars, yourself included."

Sirius paled. "I die? How?"

Harry shook his head. "We have made it a policy not to tell anyone how they die, as we have plans to read a set of books about my school years at Hogwarts. Most people who we are 'retrieving' will find out how they died from them," Sirius nodded, still pale. But then, hope sprang up on his face.

"Does this mean you can get James and Lily?" He asked hopefully. A voice then came from behind him.

"He already has," It was Lily who had shed her Invisibility Cloak along with James. Sirius spun around to make sure he wasn't hearing things and then leapt from his seat and ran at James, enveloping him in a deep hug. Harry noticed that Sirius was crying when he let go of James and embraced Lily.

"Oh, Merlin," Sirius said, wiping his eyes, "I never even dared dream I would see you two again. But here we are!"

James chuckled. "I can't begin to imagine how you coped without us, Padfoot," Sirius shot Harry a glance and Harry mouthed the words 'Not now' and Sirius nodded, obviously understanding that Harry didn't want his parents to know that Sirius had spent twelve years in Azkaban prison.

"Harry and his friends came up with this idea all by themselves," Lily said proudly.

"Wait a minute!" Sirius said realizing something, He seemed to be looking at Harry's hand, "You come from 2011? And that ring on your finger means that you got hitched! How could you?" Sirius yelled mockingly before saying, "Who to?"

"Ginny Weasley," Harry said proudly.

"I knew it!" Sirius shouted triumphantly while Harry shook his head fondly. Apparently _everyone_ knew that he was going to end up with her except him.

"And we have three kids," Sirius looked at him and motioned for him to go on, "Our youngest is Lily Luna Potter. She is three years old," Sirius looked at Lily, who was looking very emotional. He then looked at Luna who also looked quite emotional as well. She had always regarded Harry and Ginny using her name for their daughter a high honour. Harry decided to continue, "Our second oldest is Albus Potter, who is five. Our oldest is James Sirius Potter who is six."

At this, Sirius ran over to his godson and wrapped him in a bearhug, tears in his eyes. "Thank you, Harry."

Harry then told him about Ron and Hermione and their kids and about Neville and Hannah as well. Luna put her story about Rolf and her kids in as well. By the end Sirius was almost bouncing in his seat.

"When can we go?" He asked excitedly.

Harry smiled. "Now, if you like. Oh and Sirius. Don't attack Snape when you see him. And if you know how anyone dies, don't tell them."

Sirius looked confused but before he could talk, Luna spoke up. "Just grasp the staff Mr. Black," she said absent-mindedly.

Before he did Sirius said, "Call me Sirius, please. 'Mr. Black' makes me feel so old."

James chuckled and clasped his best friend's shoulder. "You are old mate. Fourteen years older than me at least."

Sirius mock-scowled as he grabbed the staff and soon felt the portkey-like sensation as they moved across a universe.

* * *

**_Authors Note_**

**Sorry for the wait for this. A few real life things happened but we got there. When they actually start reading we should be able to update a lot quicker.**

**Well there you have it. Those were some of the bigger retrievals that will happen. If you would like ot know, here is who wrote what.**

**Frank and Alice Longbottom – Kuhal  
****Hedwig – Beletrium  
****Severus Snape – Beletrium  
****Cedric Diggory – Kuhal  
****Sirius Black – Beletrium**

**We are getting to the point where we will have a few humorous ones. We both think you can guess which ones will be funny so we have decided not to tell you which ones will be serious. Also, it is coming to the point where Kuhal will be writing a lot more.**

**We don't know when we will have the next part up, but it will be quicker than this one. If there are any problems with this chapter let us know and we will fix it as soon as possible.**

**Thanks to _ambiangel_, _Sklein_, _Taeniaea, AussieGrl303_, _Dimcairien_, _Chakahlah_, _Pink Bismuth_, _Evalon Knights_, _TopazEyes137_, _Fangren_ and _Dolphingirl217 _for reviewing.**

_**Ambiangel**_** - It won't cause a ripple effect with the time because they are only going to affect the universes they go to to retrieve the people. There is no effect on the universe that Harry and co. come from.**

**Thanks for reading! Let us know what you think!**

**Beletrium and Kuhal**


	4. Universal Shift: Part 3

_**Disclaimer**_** - I do not intend any copyright infringement. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. This story is purely for the enjoyment of fanfiction readers and the author. There is not any money being made from this story, nor will there ever be any made.**

* * *

**2****nd**** May, 2011**

Sirius felt slightly disorientated as he touched down in a house that he didn't seem to know. He was not expecting the staff to act anything like a portkey, and when it did it took him by surprise. Of course, even that could not dampen Sirius' spirit. Harry had found a way to bring James and Lily back into his life and Sirius was immensely pleased.

Sure, the Harry that did this was not the same as the one who he left behind but he was still Harry. And James and Lily were the same people he had known all those years ago. The people he spent twelve long years in Azkaban for. Sirius truly hoped that Remus would be in that room to celebrate with him. _Unless he died as well_, Sirius thought to himself with an inward grimace.

As he looked around the room he spotted Albus Dumbledore, someone clinging to him that Sirius didn't know, Frank, Alice, Ginny, Neville, a blonde who Sirius assumed was Hannah, Ron, Hermione and a bunch of kids playing together, one who seemed to have blue hair and looked about twice as old as the others. The kid reminded him of Nymphadora Tonks. It was at that point that Sirius noticed that neither Tonks, nor Remus were around. His heart sunk as he looked to his godson who was smiling at him.

"Where's Moony?" Sirius asked quietly. Harry glanced at the floor and Sirius actually felt sick, "Moony too? What about Tonks?" Again Harry glanced down, "You are going to get them aren't you?

"Of course, Sirius. At the same time actually," Harry smirked but Sirius couldn't work out what Harry meant by that.

"Why at the same time?" Sirius asked.

"Well, the only safe time to get them would be two days before their wedding in 1997," Harry said as Sirius looked at him in astonishment.

"Moony and Tonks?" Sirius asked incredulously, "But Moony was so against that relationship ever happening."

"Yeah, well. Tonks snagged him. Oh and Sirius," Harry turned to the blue-haired teenager, "That's their son, Teddy. I'm his godfather."

Sirius stared at Teddy before looking at Harry again. "So I guess you brought him up?"

Harry looked thoughtful for a minute. "Yes and no," he said indecisively, "I helped. He lives with Andromeda for the most part, but until he went to Hogwarts I saw him every single day. And I never let him forget his parents. Andromeda doesn't either."

Sirius smiled and nodded. "So when can I meet my namesake then?" He asked cheekily, "Oh. And those _other_ ones as well, I guess."

Harry smiled at him. "I can introduce you now, but I need to go and talk to Severus for a minute while you do," Sirius made a face, "Don't be like that Sirius. I need him for the next retrieval. You too probably, but I will talk to Severus first to give you time to get to know my kids and Teddy. Also, if you know how anyone here dies, don't tell them or anyone else. Chances are it will be at least mentioned in the books. I know that you know what happened to the Longbottoms and Cedric Diggory, and they are around somewhere."

Sirius nodded before Harry took him over to the kids. When Harry got there, Sirius noticed that pretty much all the kids looked up at Harry almost instantly. "Hey kids. I want you to meet someone," He pointed to Sirius, "This here is Sirius Black, my godfather. James' middle name is named after him and Teddy already knows a lot about him. Have fun with him."

And then Harry left Sirius to talk with James, Albus, Lily, Teddy, Rose, Hugo, Fred and Roxanne. Lily immediately climbed into Sirius' lap, much to his amusement and Teddy looked on amazed.

Harry quickly left, hoping that Sirius could handle being around so many kids. It had been fifteen years since he had been around anyone under the age of eleven, so Harry didn't know how he would react. Though, he put those thoughts out of his mind and immediately sought out Severus.

It didn't take long to find Severus, who was talking animatedly with Lily and Dumbledore. Harry really wasn't sure how to approach his old Potions master. Sure, Harry knew that Severus was a good guy and the bravest man he had ever known, but there was still the manner in which he treated Harry in his early years.

"Uh...Severus," The hook-nosed man turned to Harry and Harry saw something rare on Severus' face. A smile. A genuine smile. Not a sneer, but a smile. It was extremely unnerving to say the least but Harry pressed on, "I need to talk to you for a minute."

Strangely Severus simply nodded, the smile not leaving his face, and went into the kitchen with Harry. "What is this regarding?" Severus asked almost politely.

"I want you to come on one of our 'retrievals'," Harry said, getting to the point.

"Who would I be retrieving?" Severus asked curiously.

"Regulus Black."

Snape gaped at him. "Regulus? But he was a Death Eater. Surely you know that."

"Yes, I do. But I can't tell you why I know it is safe to go and get him, only that I know that it is," Harry said, hoping Severus would drop the topic. He did.

"Okay. But why me?"

"From what I am given to understand, you and Regulus were close. The only other person in this house that it would make sense to send is Sirius. I am going to ask him to, by the way," Harry said pointedly.

"The man who betrayed your parents? You went and got _him_? Are you that much of a dunderhead?" Severus asked, his voice sounding surprised.

"Do you trust my judgment?" Harry asked sarcastically, using Severus' own words against him.

"Touché, Harry," Snape smiled again causing Harry to have to hold back a cringe.

"So you'll come?"

"Yes. I'll come," Severus said, his face turning severe, "So long as the mutt behaves."

"Thank you. And I'll talk to him right now. Just go and wait with Luna until I'm done. I'll be there soon."

Harry then left the kitchen and headed towards the kids where he saw something which made him burst out laughing. The kids seemed to all be playing 'Stacks-On' with Sirius who looked decidedly uncomfortable. Harry saw Ginny looking on and laughing. Harry had always liked her laugh. But he didn't have time to waste, so he walked on to where Sirius was struggling for breath.

"Hey, kids," Harry said with a massive grin, "I need to talk to Sirius for a little while so I think you might want to get off him."

All the kids seemed to giggle as one as they slowly, one-by-one, made their way off of a groaning Sirius. Once Sirius was free, Harry leant down and pulled his godfather up.

"Thanks, Harry," Sirius said, still trying to regain his breath, "Don't know how much longer I would've lasted."

Harry laughed. "I know. Normally I only have to put up with three, but you seemed to have five. Luckily Teddy didn't get involved. He isn't so light anymore," Harry said wryly.

"I guess there's that," Sirius said with a frown on his face, "What did you need to talk to me about?"

"The next retrieval," Harry said, "Would you be willing to come with me?"

"Yeah I would actually," Sirius said with a grin, "It's not every day you can travel across universes and through time is it? Who are we getting?"

Harry sighed. "Regulus."

Sirius looked livid. "No. No way, Harry! No! He was a Death Eater through and through! We can't risk it!"

"Sirius, calm yourself down!" Harry had to raise his voice to finally get his godfather to listen, "I can't tell you how I know this, because it is a major part of the books, but Regulus turned on Voldemort towards the end of the First War. That's why he died."

Sirius froze. "Turned on Voldemort?" He asked dumbly, "Are you sure, Harry?"

"Absolutely," Harry said confidently, "I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that he turned on Voldemort."

Sirius sighed and leaned against a wall. "Oh, Reg," He said quietly.

Harry put a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, Sirius. We will get him back and you will have your little brother again."

Sirius nodded. "Ok. Alright, I'll go. Who else is going to go get him?" Sirius asked, apparently having forgotten what Harry had said about Severus.

"Well. I will be going, because I have some information to help Regulus decide to come," Harry said quickly, "And Severus too," Sirius began to protest but Harry put up a hand, "No, Sirius. Severus is necessary because he and Regulus were quite close. If it were just you and me, I'm not sure that Regulus would decide to come. Severus was a friend to him so it makes sense that he would trust him."

"But...I'm his brother."

"Yes. And how exactly did that end?" Harry asked, sounding more vicious than he wanted to.

Sirius sighed. "You're right. Of course you are," He sighed a long, drawn out sigh, "Fine. But Snivellus had better behave."

Harry almost laughed at how shockingly similar Severus' and Sirius' statements were. "I'm sure he will. Let's find Luna. Severus will be waiting with her."

Sirius nodded and Harry looked around the room until he spotted Luna and Severus in conversation. He and Sirius walked to where the two were and saw a strange, perplexed look on Severus' face. They got there just as Luna was finishing a comment.

"And they are invisible too. That's why it's so hard to see them. I wish I could have a pet Crumple-Horned Snorkack," Luna said in her dreamy voice.

"Uh..." Severus Snape was lost for words. Harry made a mental note to remember the look on the Potions Professor's face.

"I'm sure you will one day, Luna," Harry said kindly, coming to Severus' aid. Severus turned and glared at Sirius who, in turn, glared at him, "Oh, get over it you two!" Harry shouted irritably, "Hogwarts was ages ago for both of you! Can't you get past a grudge?"

Sirius turned to Harry looking scandalised. "But Harry –"

He was cut off by Harry. "Sirius! You remember me telling you all about my cousin, Dudley?" Sirius nodded but didn't speak, "Well after the war ended, Ginny convinced me to give Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and Dudley another chance and invite them to our wedding. I really didn't want to but I did."

Harry heard Sirius mutter the word 'whipped' under his breath. Harry stopped himself from smiling and carried on. "I didn't expect them to show up, but Aunt Petunia and Dudley did. They were both very polite and Aunt Petunia even spent some time with Ginny. I think they might feel bad for what they did. Of course, Uncle Vernon didn't show up, but I don't care. After that, I make sure to see Dudley at least once every two months, more so now that he has two kids around the same age as Albus and Lily. Aunt Petunia actually treats my children like...well...almost like grandchildren. It's a huge change."

"So you forgave them? After all they did?" Sirius asked incredulously while Snape watched the two, wondering what Petunia had done to Harry in his youth.

Harry shook his head. "No. I don't think I can ever forgive them. But I can tolerate them. I can talk to them. I can be around them. My point is, if I can get along with a family, well some of the family, which abused me for years, I think that you and Severus can get past your Hogwarts problems."

Sirius started to protest but shut his mouth quickly. He looked at Severus and thought for a few seconds. "Fine. I can at least tolerate him and I won't call him Snivellus anymore," He said slowly, "But if he does _anything_ against you, James, Lily or any of your kids, I will personally hex him into oblivion."

Severus looked on for a minute before turning to Harry and nodding. "Fine, Sirius. I agree to that. Can we go now?"

Luna, who had been watching the exchange curiously, held out the staff for the three of them. They had discussed earlier when to get Regulus, as they needed to carefully choose the date.

Harry, Sirius and Severus all grabbed hold of the staff and within seconds they had disappeared with a flash.

**25****th**** January, 1979**

As they touched down in Grimmauld Place, Harry saw Severus and Sirius look around in astonishment. Severus, Harry assumed, at being back in the Black Household after so many years and Sirius at how different the house was. Harry instantly noticed how clean the house was, though it was still completely dark and dank. He looked to the wall where Walburga's portrait hung in the future and he saw nothing there. Thinking of Walburga, Harry thought of something important so he turned to Luna, Severus and Sirius.

"If you see Walburga at any point, stun her," Harry said quietly and actually quite viciously. Sirius nodded, a glint in his eyes telling Harry that he would like nothing more than to do just that. Luna nodded. Harry had told her all about Sirius and his past after the war. He had found Luna to be quite comforting and confided in her a lot. She had been in similar situations to him in her past, having lost her mother and the way she was treated at Hogwarts. Harry felt that she had become a lot better friend to him after the war and he cursed himself for not making it happen earlier.

Severus stared at Harry, wide-eyed. "Stun Walburga?" He asked, shocked.

"Yeah," Harry said distractedly, "She doesn't like Sirius and I doubt she would like the idea of a half-blood like myself and a blood traitor like Luna in her house."

Something passed across Snape's eyes briefly and Harry realised that he was thinking of his own half-blood status. He nodded slowly, though Harry could tell that he didn't really want to do what Harry had said.

Harry looked away, towards the stairs leading up to the floor that Regulus' room was on. "I think he'll most likely be in his room."

All of them nodded and made their way to the stairs quietly so as to not alert Walburga of their presence in her house. When they reached the top of the stairs, Harry made his way to the door of Regulus' room. When he got there he knocked slowly.

"Come in," He heard a voice similar to Sirius' but higher pitched say.

Harry made sure he had his wand in his hand as he walked in, ready to disarm Regulus at a moment's notice. He opened the door and saw a man seated in a chair, sitting at a desk. He had long black hair and a long face. He looked quite haggard actually, though Harry knew this was because of what he had found out about Voldemort's horcruxes. Harry grimaced and missed Regulus pulling out his wand.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Regulus cried and Harry's wand left his hand. Swiftly though, Luna had her wand in her hand and silently disarmed Regulus and summoned Harry's wand, giving it to him. Regulus looked shocked, "W-Who are you?"

"I'm Harry Potter," Harry said as he saw Regulus' brow furrow.

"Potter? As in Sirius' friend James?" Regulus asked, obviously not believing Harry. It was at that point that he noticed the two men standing behind Harry. Harry didn't hink that he would recognise Sirius, and he didn't, "Severus?"

Severus nodded. "Yes, Regulus. As strange as it seems, it is me," Severus said quietly.

"Oh, Merlin," Regulus said, his eyes wild, "What happened Severus? You look so old."

Harry decided to interject at that moment. "All in good time Regulus. Obviously you know Severus Snape. But the other person behind me, the one who looks decidedly annoyed that you didn't notice him, is Sirius Black."

Regulus' eyes widened. "Siri? Is it really you?" He asked, sounding a lot younger than he looked. When Sirius nodded, Regulus sighed, "And I thought Severus looked old."

"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed, "I resent that!" Harry laughed at that. To Harry's surprise so did Regulus. He turned to Harry.

"Who's the pretty woman with you?" He asked smiling at Luna who actually blushed.

"This is Luna Scamander," Harry said smirking at the blushing girl.

"Uh...what exactly are you all doing here?" Regulus became confused.

Harry sighed. "Well...we are kind of from the future."

Once again, Regulus' eyes became large. "T-the future? How?"

"Well, not really the future exactly," Harry said quietly, "Have you ever heard of Yargly?"

Regulus nodded quickly but had a perplexed look etched on his face. "Yeah. Really powerful but seemed to drop off the face of the Earth when he was in his thirties."

Harry nodded. "That's right. See that staff Luna has?" He pointed at the staff in Luna's hands and Regulus nodded, "That Staff was infused with Yargly's magic. The big part of it is that we are able to jump across universes and travel through time."

"But why come here? Are you trying to help me with the –" He was cut off by Harry putting up his hand.

Harry turned to Sirius and Severus. "Can I talk to Regulus for a minute without you two being here?" They nodded and left the room, closing the door behind them, "Regulus? Do you have a silencing charm on the door?" At the nod, Harry nodded, "Good. Now, about the Horcruxes."

"Horcruxes? I thought he only had one," Regulus said quickly Harry simply nodded in a way that would have made Dumbledore proud, though he cursed himself for giving that away.

"I know. But Sirius and Severus don't know about them at all and I would like to keep it that way. Luna does because she was actually there with me after Voldemort died."

"You killed him?" Harry nodded, "Wow."

"Here's the thing Regulus," Harry said quietly, "In a few weeks you will die. That's why we're here."

"Die? How?" Again the dreaded question appears.

"I can't tell you that."

"Why not?"

Harry sighed. "I need to tell you the whole story of today's events," Regulus nodded so Harry continued, "In our universe, it is the thirteenth anniversary of Voldemort's death. Luna was visited on that day by Yargly himself, who gave her his staff. We decided to use it to gather back friends and family who had died in the past two wars."

"Two wars?" Regulus interrupted.

"Yes," Harry replied, not wanting to give away too much, "Severus and Sirius are two of those people. The reason they don't know anything about the Horcruxes is because we decided it might be fun to have people discover the whole story through books about my life written by a squib seer."

Regulus slumped back in his chair and rubbed his temples. "Where do I fit in to all of this?"

Harry smirked. "Around the sixth book."

Regulus looked at Harry in confusion. "But I die don't I?"

"Yes. But what you help with is through what happened when you die. I can't tell you too much though."

Regulus looked to Luna who had not said a word and was staring at a picture on the wall, "Why is she here? I mean, I understand Severus and Sirius. Even you. But not her."

"I am the only one who can work the Staff," Luna replied absently, "Your room is full of Yefleplungs did you know?"

"What?" Regulus asked.

"Don't worry Regulus. That's just how Luna is. So," Harry said hoping to get to the point, "Would you like to come with us?"

Regulus looked at him and thought for a minute. "I think so. I mean, you haven't told me enough for me to actually avoid my own death, have you? So I can avoid it by leaving."

Harry liked Regulus. He reminded him of Hermione a little. Very logical. "Excellent," Harry walked to the door and opened it. Severus and Sirius both walked in. Harry was happy that they hadn't destroyed each other, "Regulus has agreed to come back with us."

Just then, Regulus leapt up from his chair and ran forward and embraced Sirius. "I'm so sorry Siri! I should have listened to you! You were right! I don't want to be a Death Eater!" Regulus said, tears in his eyes.

"Reg. Reg calm down. I forgive you," Sirius said to his little brother. Regulus let go and looked to Severus.

"I suppose you left the Dark Lord as well?" Severus nodded, "Good. I won't ask when, though. Harry has told me all about his books. I already know too much, and I still want to be surprised."

Sirius and Severus shot Harry two identical looks that said clearly, 'what does he know?' Harry shook his head and both nodded and looked away.

"Luna. You can give Regulus his wand back now," Luna did so and Regulus looked at her gratefully, "I think we should go now before Walburga finds us here," Harry said quickly.

"What do I do?" Regulus asked nervously.

Luna looked at him. "Just grab hold of the Staff. Be aware, though, that it feels like a portkey."

Regulus nodded and looked to Harry. "Thank you. You saved me from dying and I don't think I can ever repay you."

"Just look after Sirius will you?" Harry said smirking, "The old mutt needs someone to pull him into line and I'm too old now to do it."

Regulus smiled. "I guess the old mutt is my job then. Life can be cruel."

Harry, Severus and even Luna laughed out loud while Sirius mock-scowled. When they finished laughing they all grabbed the staff and felt the pull on their navel just as they noticed Walburga look into the room.

**2****nd**** May, 2011**

Frank Longbottom was looking around Harry Potter's living room and found his eyes go over the people there. He knew that Alice and himself were rendered incapacitated, if not killed, at some point during the war that he had still been a part of less than half an hour before. Now he was in a peaceful world. Voldemort was dead. That was really all that he needed to know.

He looked to his wife and he knew that she was just as astounded as him. He smiled at her before giving her a one-armed hug. They were in conversation with Neville and Hannah, their son and his wife. That was perhaps the strangest bit. Seeing their son as an adult rather than a child. But they knew that there was nothing more that they could do.

"We have been trying to have kids for a while now," Neville said, looking slightly dejected, "We haven't had any luck thus far."

Frank saw Alice smile at her son. "It took us ages to conceive you, Neville. Give it time. It'll happen," She said warmly. Frank had always known that she would be the motherly type.

Hannah sighed. "We know, but seeing Harry and Ginny with their kids, Ron and Hermione with theirs and even Luna and Rolf with theirs as well. It...well it hurts," Hannah said quietly.

Alice reached over to her daughter-in-law and hugged her. "Give it time, dear," was all she said. Frank knew that it was all she had needed to say. At that time there was a flash of light that filled the room. Instinctively Frank had his wand out and pointed towards the flash and a second later the flash happened again, revealing five people. Frank noticed one of them and felt his blood run cold.

"_Stupefy_!" He shouted, pointing his wand at Regulus. Harry, however, was quicker and threw up a shield which stopped the spell. Frank was surprised at the boy's reflexes and that he would protect a known Death Eater.

"No, Mr. Longbottom!" Harry said forcefully, "Do you really think I would retrieve a Death Eater on purpose if I knew he was evil?"

Frank had no reply so he lowered his wand and felt someone touch his shoulder. He whirled around and saw Neville. He did not expect him to be smiling. "Channelling old Mad-Eye there dad?" Neville chuckled and Frank looked slightly confused. _Why does Neville know Mad-Eye?_ He thought worriedly. It was then that Harry spoke up.

"This is Regulus Black, Sirius' brother. Yes, he was a Death Eater. Yes, he joined willingly. _But_ he died trying to take down Voldemort," Regulus, Severus and Cedric Diggory all cringed, "I trust him and so should you."

That was it for Frank. He knew that he could trust Harry. _What did Regulus do?_ Frank wondered. Frank knew that he died, but he thought Voldemort had killed him in anger. It was something he needed to think on.

Harry looked to Luna and asked her who was next. After her reply he went to talk to Neville and Hannah. They were in conversation with Frank and Alice.

"Sorry about yelling at you, Mr. Longbottom," Harry said sincerely.

"Call me Frank, Harry. I see why you yelled. It's just been ingrained in me to attack known Death Eaters," The man said frowning.

"I definitely understand. I'm an Auror myself," Harry said to Frank who didn't show a bit of surprise.

"If you are as good as James, you're a fine Auror, Harry."

"Thanks Frank," Harry turned to Hannah, "It's your turn to get your mother, Hannah," He said softly. He saw pain flash across Hannah's face as she turned to Neville, who nodded.

"Okay, Harry," Hannah said quietly, "We'll go and talk to Luna."

"I'll go with you to Luna," Harry offered. The three set off after telling Alice and Frank what they were going to do. When they got to where Luna was, Hannah wrapped the blonde in a hug and whispered, 'Thank You' to her, before hugging Harry as well.

Nothing else was said as Luna silently held out the staff and Neville and Hannah grabbed hold, and the room was lit up by the flash.

**28****th**** April, 1996**

Hannah noticed where she, Neville and Luna were immediately after they landed. It was the house she grew up in since she was a baby. The house that her mother raised her in since her father's death early on in her life. The house that she had not set foot in since her mother's death. It was almost physically painful to look at it again, knowing that she was going to see her mother once more.

Neville grabbed her hand and squeezed it. It was sometimes unnerving how Hannah's husband knew exactly what she needed at any given time. It was as if he could read her mind. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. She saw Luna shorten the staff to wand-sized and put it behind her ear. She couldn't help but giggle at that. Luna had become a close friend when she married Neville, as did Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron as well.

She looked back towards the house and sighed. "Let's get going then," She said not really knowing what else to say or do. Once again, Neville squeezed her hand as they walked to the front door. Luna had decided to stay outside, preferring to check the tree in the front yard for some creature or other.

She raised her hand and knocked on the door. Her heart was pounding as she heard footsteps in the hall leading to the door. Then the door opened. "Yes?" Hannah's mother asked. Hannah felt a little sad that she was not recognised by her own mother but that didn't last long.

"Are you Felula Abbott?" Hannah asked.

"Yes, I am," Her mother said warily, reaching for her wand in her pocket, "And who are you?"

Hannah sighed. "I'm Hannah. You're daughter."

Now the woman's wand was in Hannah's face. "Do your homework next time Death Eater. My daughter is nowhere near as old as you are! She's in school," Hannah whimpered at the sight of her mother.

"Calm down, Felula," Neville said quietly, "We aren't Death Eaters. Ask Hannah a question that only you two would know."

"That sounds reasonable," Felula said before turning to her daughter, not once lowering her wand, "How many times have you tripped over the back step of the house?"

Hannah smiled. "A grand total of seven."

Felula's wand lowered. "Merlin...how?"

"Can we come inside?" Neville asked. Felula stepped out of the doorway. Neville turned to Luna who had come to the house when she saw Felula's wand drawn, "Come on in, Luna. I think we might need you."

After getting settled, Felula asked, "Who are you two?" She was addressing Luna and Neville.

"Well I'm Neville Longbottom and this is Luna Scamander," Neville said. Felula looked to Hannah.

"Longbottom? Is he the one you –" She was cut off by her daughter.

"Mother!" Hannah said indignantly, blushing slightly.

"Am I the one what?" Neville asked curiously.

"I...I kinda had a crush on you in fifth year," Hannah admitted, her face now extremely red. Neville looked dumbfounded.

"Really? Fifth year?" Neville asked before laughing, "And you let me flounder for years before I found you?"

"Years?" Felula asked curiously, "Fifth year was only last year."

Hannah coughed nervously. "Yeah. Uh mum. We are from the future I guess," She stammered, "Although not really."

"We jumped universes," Luna said absently, curling a lock of blonde hair around her fingers.

"U-universes?" Felula asked, dumbfounded.

"Uh...yeah. We are actually from 2011. Neville here is my husband," Hannah said, grabbing her husband's hand, "And we, along with a few other friends, decided to get lost loved ones back to us."

"I...I die?" Felula asked, the blood rushing from her face.

Hannah nodded sadly. "Soon, actually."

"Merlin..." There was silence for about half a minute before Felula spoke again, "Many casualties?"

"Sadly, yes," Neville said, "We are getting people from the First and Second Wars who died. So far we have nine. You are number ten and we still have ten to go and one special one."

"That's twenty-one people!" Felula exclaimed.

"And that's just the friends and family," Neville said, "Just so you know, though. We aren't telling anyone how they died. We have a set of seven books that we are planning to read as a group and the answers will be there."

"So, will you come with us?" Hannah asked hopefully. Her mother gave her a look and sighed.

"Yes. Yes I will," She said, "It's all strange but I can't help but trust you. What do I have to do?"

Luna resized the staff and Felula gasped. "Just grab on when you want to get going," Luna said.

"One more thing, mum," Hannah said, "If you know the fate of anyone when you get there. Don't tell them please," Felula nodded and grabbed the staff. Soon they all felt the sensation of being pulled away and there was a flash of light and they were gone.

**2****nd**** May, 2011**

Harry watched, as he always did, in amazement as Hannah, Neville and Luna disappeared with a flash, but within a second they were back with a second flash. Harry vaguely wondered why the flash didn't hurt his eyes, but thought nothing of it when he saw Hannah's smiling face.

As soon as they let go of the staff, Hannah flew into Neville's arms and Harry couldn't help but smile. She then went and hugged her mother as well. Felula was quickly rushed off to meet Frank and Alice and Harry looked to his kids, who were now playing with both Sirius and Regulus. Harry decided to go and talk to his kids about Regulus.

As he got close, Harry heard the sound of Albus' voice. "Can you do that again Uncle Regulus?" Harry felt profoundly happy at that from his son. That was going to be precisely what he was going to talk to them about. Regulus then had his wand in his hand and waved it at Albus, then at Lily and lastly at Hugo, making them all float around at once. With a flick of his wand, the three children began to circle above Regulus and Sirius.

Harry had never seen magic like that before. It was in that state of amazement that Harry noticed Severus standing off to a side watching on. His face was almost impassive, but Harry did notice something of a slight smile there.

Knowing that Sirius and Regulus had the kids well in hand, Harry realised who was next in line to be retrieved. He looked straight to where George and Angelina were, talking together. It was obvious how nervous George was. Angelina didn't look much better but she was certainly the rock of the two. His eyes then flickered to Ron who was talking to Ginny. They weren't originally planning on Ginny going, but Harry realised that it would be important to her, so he went over to tell her.

"Hey, Gin," Harry started quietly, "I know we didn't put you down as going to get Fred, but I think you should."

Wordlessly, his wife flung herself into his arms and began to cry. Crying was not something Ginny was prone to and Harry knew it took a lot for her to actually cry. He held her until she calmed. Ron gave him a thankful look and Harry nodded in recognition. They picked up Angelina and George before going to Luna, who was waiting for them. George turned to Angelina, Ginny and Ron.

"Can I be the one to see him first?" He asked sadly.

"Of course George," Angelina said giving him an encouraging smile, "He _is_ your twin after all."

Harry could see tears in the older man's eyes before he turned to Luna. "Let's go then," he murmured. Luna nodded and held out the staff. George quickly grabbed hold, followed soon by Angelina, Ginny and Ron. There was a flash of light and they were gone.

**28****th**** July, 1997**

As soon as George felt his feet hit the soft ground outside of the Burrow he felt something that he had not felt for thirteen years. He felt Fred. "Bloody Hell," he said quietly.

"Yes, it can have that effect can't it?" Ginny said.

"No. I mean…" George struggled to find the right words, "I can…feel Fred. Like I used to be able to."

Ron and Ginny looked at him weirdly, but Luna and Angelina seemed to understand. "What?" Ron asked.

"As twins, Fred and I have a connection. I can sense his presence in my life, and he can sense me," George said, looking hopefully at the Burrow, "When he died, I thought I would never feel this again. But I can. It's amazing."

Angelina squeezed his hand tightly and Ginny and Ron nodded sadly, now realising why George had taken so long to get over Fred's death. All five of them stood, looking at the Burrow for a good minute before they decided they needed to see Fred. Luckily no one had seen them.

The plan was for Ron, being the strongest magically, would levitate George to the window of his and Fred's old room, where Fred had stayed for the day, while George was cared for by his mother. This would get Fred alone.

They did just this and soon, George was tapping on the window of his old room. Soon, the window opened and Fred stood there with his wand drawn and a worried look in his eyes. It was all George could do not to break down then and there, but he knew it was too important to risk. Fortunately, Fred smiled.

"You look familiar," He said with a grin. George frowned slightly.

"I do?" He asked, still floating in midair.

"Yes. Somehow you look like George but you seem to be flying and you look heaps older. I must have dozed off!" Fred said before motioning for George to enter. George reluctantly did so.

"Uh..I don't know how to put this Fred, but you aren't dreaming," Fred frowned, "This is real."

"No it's not. George is downstairs with a bloodied up ear. I notice too that your ear is not there, so it must be a dream," Fred said, knowledgeably. George cast a Pinching Charm they had learnt at an early age. Fred recoiled, "Oi! Wait…I felt that. It can't be a…dream."

Fred raised his wand. "Harry gave us the start-up funds to run our joke shop! He didn't want his Triwizard Winnings!" George almost shouted. Fred looked amazed and lowered his wand.

"How are you here, and why do you look older?" Fred asked quickly.

"I look older because I am, thirteen years in fact," George sighed, "I'm from the future. Well, _a_ future."

Fred looked perplexed. "Is this a joke?"

George slowly shook his head. "Me and a few others have found a way to jump across universes and move around in time. We are doing this to…to bring back our loved ones."

"Bring back your…Oh!" Fred's eyes widened in realisation, "I die then?"

George nodded. "And we want to have you back."

"You said there were others?" Fred asked quietly.

"Oh, yeah. Look out the window," Fred did so and immediately gaped.

"Ron? Ginny? Angelina?" On the last one he gave George a look and waggled his eyebrows. George chuckled and nodded his head, "And I also see Luna holding a staff. Why?"

"How about we go down there and talk to them. Maybe going into the woods would help us to not be seen," George suggested as Fred threw himself out a window with his wand pointed down. George heard him muter the cushioning charm and was glad when he didn't hear a thump or crack. George then launched himself out the window as well, feeling the happiest he had felt in years.

When he reached the ground, Fred helped him up and they all made their way into the trees nearby very quickly. When they got there Fred looked around at everyone before they all hugged him. They were all happy to see Fred after thirteen years. George watched on in amusement as Luna gave Fred a hug as well and whispered something about nargles.

Fred looked to George and frowned. "I know that I die, but who else?"

George frowned. He wanted to joke, but he felt it would be cruel. "The major ones were Remus, Tonks and Colin Creevey. Obviously there were others, but they were the big ones, for us at least," At the mention of Colin, George noticed Ginny's eyes fill with regret.

"Wow…I guess you'll be getting them too?" Fred asked, overwhelmed. George nodded.

"Remus and Tonks are next, Colin's later," Ron said quietly, "We decided to get people only killed because of the two wars. We've already got Professor Dumbledore, his sister Ariana, James and Lily Potter, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Professor Snape –"

"What?" Fred exploded, "But that greasy git killed Dumbledore!"

Angelina put a hand on his shoulder. "We can trust him," She said quietly.

"How do you know that?" Fred asked in resignation.

"We can't tell you," Ginny said.

"Why not?" Fred asked, looking perplexed.

"There were books written about Harry's school years," Ginny started, "And we plan on reading them together so that the whole story can be told properly. We aren't telling anyone who or when they die, only that they are."

"And you expect me to just leave here and go with you?" Fred asked incredulously.

"Well, Fred. You could stay here and more than likely be killed," George said, "Or you could come with us to a peaceful world. No Voldemort."

"Wait? You beat Voldemort? How?"

"Another thing we can't tell you," George said, sighing.

"Oh. Well, you got up to Snape?" Fred asked.

"Ah, yes. We also got Cedric Diggory, Sirius Black, Regulus Black," Fred raised an eyebrow but didn't speak, "Felula Abbot, Hannah Abbot's mum and Neville's mother in law, and you are the latest one."

"Good for Neville," Fred said grinning before turning to Ginny and Ron, "You two married?"

"Of course," Ginny said with a smirk, "Harry and I have three kids. James Sirius is our first, he's seven. Albus is our second, he's currently five. And Lily Luna is our last and is three," Ginny said beaming. Fred realised that he was now an uncle. He then turned to Ron.

"Did you get your act together?" He asked obviously amused.

"Damn right I did!" Ron said, laughing, "Me and Hermione have two kids. Rose is our oldest and is four. Hugo is our second and is three."

"What about you Georgie?" Fred asked. Angelina and George both smiled.

"Our first is Fred Weasley II," George said as Fred felt a profound happiness, and yet sadness as well, "He's eight. Our second is Roxanne, who's seven."

"And we couldn't be prouder of them," Angelina said, wrapping her arms around her husband.

Fred turned to Luna. "What about you Luna? Are you married?"

"Oh, yes. I married Rolf Scamander. We have twins. Lorcan and Lysander. They are six," Luna said, letting a look of pride pass her normally impassive face.

"So, Fred," George said nervously, "Will you come with us?"

Fred stroked an imaginary beard for a few seconds before grinning. "I've just heard about some of my nieces and nephews. How could I not?"

George ran to his brother and embraced him. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how hard the last thirteen years has been!" Angelina, Ron and Ginny each got their turn to hug Fred, before Luna told him what to do. Before they left, George asked Fred whether he wanted to prank everyone else there. He then let them in on the idea, which involved a stolen invisibility cloak.

Fred put on the cloak and grasped the staff, which caused a pull like a portkey and they were gone.

**2****nd**** May, 2011**

Harry was about to turn away from the flash when it happened again. He quickly noticed that there were only five people there and that they all had sad looks on their faces.

"What happened George?" He asked quickly.

"H-he said no. We must have visited ten universes. He said no in each of them," Harry didn't even notice the slight twinkle in his eye.

"Oh, George. I'm so sorry," Harry reached out to hug George but something stopped his hand. There was apparently a barrier between him and George. Harry frowned and felt around. Soon he made out that the thing between him and George had a face. He grabbed at the fabric and pulled, revealing a red-head that Harry hadn't seen in thirteen years, "Fred! You're a bastard George!"

Harry embraced Fred and let go so that everyone else who knew him could as well. Soon, George was whisked off to meet George's kids and Ginny trailed behind, knowing that her kids would be next.

Harry then looked to find Teddy. This next one was going to be extremely emotional for the teenager. Harry had always made sure that Teddy knew his parents as much as he could, as had Andromeda, but Harry knew that nothing he said could ever match the real people. Now, Teddy was going to actually meet the two people who he had always longed to.

Harry knew how much Teddy wanted his parents. When he was younger, and Harry would look after him, Harry would show him pictures of Remus and Tonks. Tonks always had pink hair in pictures and that was how Teddy knew her. Whenever Harry was just with Teddy, Teddy would make his hair pink, just like his mother's. He and Harry were the only two that knew that he would do that. Harry truly loved Teddy as his own child and almost regretted not raising him on his own and Teddy loved him like a father. Harry only hoped that this wouldn't detract from Remus or Tonks.

Harry walked over to where Teddy was watching Sirius and Regulus play with the younger kids. Harry reached over and grabbed Teddy's shoulder. Teddy looked up at him with a hopeful look on his face. Harry nodded, and he could see tears in the boys eyes as he jumped up and hugged his godfather tightly.

"What if they don't want to come?" He asked quietly. Harry let go of Teddy and held his shoulders tightly.

"I'll make them come!" He said jokingly. To be truthful, he too had thought about that prospect. So far it had worked spectacularly but there was always time for a first. Teddy laughed.

"Thank you, Harry," He said quietly.

"How about you get the old mutt over there and meet me with Aunt Luna. I've got to go and get my dad," Harry said quickly. Teddy nodded and went to Sirius.

Teddy couldn't believe the emotions running through him as he went to get Sirius. He felt ecstatic that he would see his parents, worried that they wouldn't want to come with him, nervous about meeting them and sad that he couldn't have had them earlier.

Harry and his grandmother had made sure that he knew all he could about his mum and dad, and they had brought him up well, but he couldn't help but notice the hole inside of him when he thought about his parents. He knew that Harry knew about that all too well, and Teddy loved that Harry would help him through it the way he did. Harry told him things that he hadn't even told Ginny about his life before Hogwarts to make Teddy feel better and to show him that he knew what Teddy was going through. Teddy loved Harry. He was his father for thirteen years and he loved him for it.

"Hey, Uncle Sirius –" Sirius cut Teddy off.

"Call me Padfoot, pup," Sirius said with a smile.

"Okay. Padfoot it is," Teddy said with only a hint of uncertainty, "Harry wanted me to tell you that we are going to get my mum and dad now, and he wants you to come."

Teddy noticed Padfoot's eyes brighten. He stood up and reached out and grabbed Teddy around the shoulders. "This should be fun. D'you think we should prank ol' Moony?"

Teddy had been told by Harry about the Marauders and so knew what Padfoot was talking about. "Maybe," Teddy said with a grin, "I know Harry's gone to get Prongs too, so maybe it might be a good idea."

Sirius chortled as Teddy led him to where Luna was. They talked to Luna and her parents for a while before Harry made his way over with James. "We have an idea," Harry said ginning. His father had the same evil grin. Then they both held out identical invisibility cloaks. And outlined the plan. Teddy and Padfoot both readily agreed to it and Luna soon held out the staff. James and Sirius both covered themselves in a cloak each. Harry warned Teddy about the feeling before they all disappeared in a flash of light.

**9****th**** July 1997**

Harry, Luna, Teddy and the invisible James and Sirius appeared with a flash of light just outside Remus' apartment, two days before they planned to get married. Harry had visited once, unannounced, and Remus was thoroughly upset with the untidiness of his home. Of course, Harry didn't really mind. Teddy was looking at the block, his face full of so many emotions his face seemed unreadable. He was going to see his parents. Harry knew the feeling, and smiled. His father and godfather were on either side ofhim, whispering in his ears.

"Can't wait for this," James said with a small chuckle, "Been ages since I've pranked old Moony."

"Same for me, James," Sirius laughed, and then continued, "I just hope his werewolf instincts don't kick in and he decides to destroy us," Harry, Sirius and James all laughed heartily.

"Alright, Luna, Teddy, you two hang back for a while," Harry figured that it would be best if only he went in at first, or so it would seem. Teddy said nothing, while Luna nodded absent-mindedly and shrunk the staff, "Sirius, you go on my left side, Dad, you on my right. You will need to quickly get behind him and then I'll disarm him and Tonks, so they won't attack. When I say, 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good', take of the cloaks and do what you want," Harry shrugged grinning evilly, leaving the rest up to them.

"Oh! Prongs, come here," Sirius whispered, not being able to contain the glee in his voice. He whispered something in his ear, and Harry saw a flash of his fathers hand shoot out of the Cloak as he laughed.

"Perfect, Padfoot!"

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"You'll see, Harry," James said, and removed the cloak for a split second, so Harry could see the glint in his eye, and the grin on his face, "You, my boy, are about to see two of the Marauders in action."

Harry thought of something. "Hey, Luna?"

"Yes, Harry? What can I do for you?" She smiled serenely.

"You can make me younger right? And take me back to my age later?" He asked.

"Of course. I take it you want to be the age you would be now?" She asked, enlarging the staff.

"That would be good," Harry said. Luna raised the staff.

"_Planto annus iunior_," She said and a flash of light appeared and Harry looked years younger in an instant.

"Awesome!" Sirius and James said together. Teddy just gaped at his younger godfather. Harry smiled at his godson and moved to walk to the apartment.

Harry lead the way to Remus' apartment, the two fully grown children snickering on their way along side him, Luna trailing back a bit, Teddy at her heels, and reached door number 9653, and knocked on it. Remus looked out, and smiled warmly.

"Harry! What a pleasant surprise!" Remus said happily, and invited Harry in, not seeing his four companions.

"I just thought I'd come see you before the big day, Moony," Harry said grinning, keeping Lupin in conversation long enough for the invisible Marauders to slip in unnoticed, "I have a gift to give you before I leave. A couple of gifts, actually," he said with a huge smile.

"Harry, you know about the wedding?" Remus asked, a quizzical look on his face, but he gained his composure. "It was only a matter of time, I suppose. Still, presents? You didn't have to," he said, still smiling brightly. "Dora! Harry's here!"

Tonks instantly appeared next to her fiancée. "Wotcher, Harry!" she said, hugging him before returning to her spot next to Remus, "What brings you here, Harry? Surely it isn't safe."

"I have some gifts for you and Remus," Harry said simply, "But first, just a safety method. Accio wands!" Harry said, as Tonks and Lupin both lost their wands, and looked at him in shock. Realisation set in there faces, Tonks taking a step back, as Remus glared at Harry.

"Are you really Harry?" Lupin growled angrily.

Harry just grinned mischievously, and said slowly, "_I solemnly swear I am up to no good._"

Lupin calmed down, knowing that only Harry and the Weasley twins knew that phrase, as two figures removed their Invisibility Cloaks behind him and yelled, "MOONY HAS A GIRLFRIEND!"

Tonks squealed, and turned to hit one on the head, but she froze, much as Remus had the moment he heard the voices. "No..." he muttered, staring at Harry's wide grin.

"Hello, Moony," James said, turning him around and hugging him.

"And how is my favourite cousin?" Sirius slyly asked Tonks, before pulling her into a hug too. Both Lupin and Tonks couldn't move, and burst into tears.

"S-sirius? Ja-james?" Remus stuttered, tears beginning to roll down his cheeks, as Tonks remained speechless, "But how is this possible?"

"Luna?" Harry said, and as she walked into the room, he walked over to join his dad and Remus, and Sirius and Tonks soon followed. They stood in the middle of the room, and Luna walked into the room.

"Hello Mrs. Tonks, Professor Lupin," she spoke distantly, "I don't suppose Harry has explained to you how this was possible?"

"No, he left that to you," Lupin said, smiling, tears still falling freely down his face, as Sirius and James had an arm over his shoulders.

"Right. Well, have you ever heard of Yargly?" Luna asked, and Remus nodded, as Tonks shook her head. Luna pulled out the staff, and re-sized it, "This is his staff."

Remus' eyes grew wide in shock, as he realized. "Of course! You're from different dimensions!"

Tonks yelped, and yelled, "WHAT?"

"Dora, Yargly was a master at dimensional travel. And I mean, he perfected it," Remus explained.

"Right, Professor," Luna continued, "And we've been traveling from our universe, the centre one, and retrieving casualties from both of the wars on Voldemort."

Both Remus and Tonks nodded, and paled, as Tonks spoke up as she realised why Harry and everyone else was there, "We die? How?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry, but we can't tell you that. In our universe, there's a squib, who we believe to be a Seer. She wrote a series of seven books about my life, and we have copies of each. We're going to read them, so that everybody can learn about everything with a lot more accuracy.

Remus nodded, and said, "And we aren't allowed to tell others of their fates?"

Harry smiled, "Correct, Remus. I need your word that you won't say anything to anyone, including these two," he said, pointing to Sirius and James.

"Of course, Harry. Marauder's oath," he replied, raising a hand, and smirking at the other Marauders on the room.

"Thank you, Remus. Tonks?"

"Oh, of course Harry!" Tonks said, smiling.

"Thanks, both of you. Oh, I have one more thing to tell you about. See, we can replace your memories, up until the moment before you die. Only a few we are receiving are being offered this. Would you two-"

"Yes," the two replied unanimously.

Harry smiled, and said, "Please kneel down," and as they did, Luna walked over to them, and performed the ritual on them both, the golden light flowing through the air. Remus, after recovering from the immediate discomfort, grabbed Harry, and demanded, "What happened to Teddy?"

At that moment, Remus saw a boy walk in the doorway, and he looked at him, as the boy said, "Wotcher, Dad, Mum," He had tears falling from his eyes.

Remus and Tonks ran over to envelop their son in a hug, and they all started crying. Teddy's hair changed colour about three times during the ordeal and Tonks' about seven. When they finally broke apart, all smiling, Remus turned to Harry, as Tonks fussed over her son, and Teddy basked in the company of his parents for the first time. "Harry, how old is Teddy?"

"He's thirteen and almost finished his second year at Hogwarts," Harry said, "Andromeda raised him but I made sure to see him every single day since you two died."

Remus enveloped Harry in a hug. "Thank you Harry," he said quietly, "I knew there was a reason Dora and I made you Godfather."

Harry chuckled as Remus let go of him. "You should be proud of your son. He is a wonderful boy, and I love him like my own," Harry looked to Teddy, who was now sporting bubblegum pink hair, just like his mother. Harry couldn't help but smile. Tonks looked at him.

"Thank you so much, Harry. We owe you so much," She said between sniffles.

"You owe me nothing!" Harry said, "I would have helped raise him if you were alive or not."

Tonks then hugged him. Harry then looked to Luna. "Can you age me back, Luna?"

"Age you back?" Remus asked while Sirius and James snickered. Luna pointed the staff at him.

"_Super plures annus_," Luna said. There was then a flash of light and Harry was back to normal. Tonks and Remus both gasped. Harry looked to Teddy, who was no longer crying and hugged him.

"See," Harry whispered, "They are going to come with you."

"Thank you so much Harry. I love you," Taddy said.

"I love you too, buddy. Now go and hug your father again!"

Teddy did so. Not long after, Sirius and James walked to where Harry was watching Remus,. Tonks and Teddy. "They really look like a family don't they?" James asked.

"They really do," Sirius replied. Harry silently agreed.

"Now all we have to do, Padfoot, is get you a wife," James said jokingly. Sirius looked affronted.

"What makes you think I want one, Prongs?" He asked. Harry then broke his silence.

"A husband then?" He asked grinning at his Godfather.

"OI!" Sirius shouted, looking disgusted, "I resent that!"

"Oh, come on Padfoot!" Harry said, smirking, "In all the time I knew you, the only women you talked to were Molly Weasley, Tonks, Minerva Hestia Jones and Emmeline Vance. Never once did you 'put the moves on them'."

"Well, let's see then," Sirius said in mock anger, "Married, cousin, eww, not sure why I didn't and married. It's not like I had much of a chance!"

Harry and James burst out laughing before Remus, Tonks and Teddy made their way over. "What's funny?" Remus asked.

"Padfoot's love life!" James said between laughs. Remus let out a small chuckle

"I guess that is rather funny isn't it?" Sirius growled, but smiled, "What do we do now Harry?"

"We go home," Harry said, motioning to the staff that Luna held, "Just grab hold of the staff and Luna will take us back to 2011."

They all gathered around, held the staff, and then, with a familiar tug at the navel, they disappeared.

* * *

**_Authors Note_**

**Hey, guys. Beletrium here. Let me start off by saying that I am immensely sorry for the gap between updates. It would have been up earlier in the week had Kuhal actually put more effort in. As it turned out, I ended up writing everything except the retrieval of Tonks and Remus. Even then, I heavily edited that one and added bits in. From now on, if Kuhal has not written his parts by four days after the posting of the last chapter, I will take over for that chapter. I feel that making you, our loyal readers, wait is unnacceptable.**

**My ideal length between updates is 2-3 days, but don't bet on it all the time. It will probably be quicker when it comes to the actual reading of the books.**

**Now, I hope you liked the retrievals in this chapter. I enjoyed writing about Teddy and Harry. I think their relationship is one that should be treated like the way I wrote it.**

**Beletrium  
**

**Onto Reviews! Thanks to all who has reviewed!**

**_Bright Yellow Angel Halo_ - Sorry for the wait. We didn't intend for the gap to be as large as it ended up being and we sincerely apologise.**

**_overtherisingstar_ - We think, for the most part, the people retrieved wouldn't have too many problems. Just look at where they come from and where they are going. Albus got Ariana. James and Lily are no longer targets. Same for Frank and Alice. Snape doesn't have to be a spy. Cedric won't get killed. Sirius gets James and Lily. Regulus isn't going to die. Felula won't die and Voldemort's gone. Same for Fred. Remus gets James, Lily and Sirius. Tonks gets her son and won't sie. Fairly good trade off really.**

**_Taeniaea_ - Thanks a lot!**

**_EnglandBabe1997_ - Thanks and we are very sorry for the wait.**

**In any case, thanks all of you for reading and we hope you liked the chapter. We refer you to Chapter 2 to see who is in the next chapter.**

**Beletrium and Kuhal  
**


	5. Universal Shift: Part 4

_**Disclaimer**_** - I do not intend any copyright infringement. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. This story is purely for the enjoyment of fanfiction readers and the author. There is not any money being made from this story, nor will there ever be any made.**

* * *

**2****nd**** May, 2011**

Lily had been happily talking to James, Albus, Ariana, Frank and Alice when Harry came over to where they were and informed her and James that he would be going to 'retrieve' Remus. James was overjoyed that his son wanted him there and they immediately decided to prank Moony. Lily was never one for pranks, though she understood their purpose in society. People needed a laugh.

It was strange having their son be older than themselves. It was unnerving to see such a wonderful man and call him son. They were only in their early twenties and he was almost thirty. He was a father for God's sake! But somehow it felt right. Lily knew her son's reasons for bringing her to his universe. One thought had been going through her head since she 'recieved her memories back'. Who brought Harry up? At first she thought it had to be Sirius, but seeing him when Harry had retrieved him, she felt differently. He looked like a shell of his former self and she had to wonder what happened to him.

Frank and Alice would have been Lily's second choice, but obviously something happened to them. Harry wouldn't have retrieved them that early if they were fit to raise him when he was young. A seemingly constant strema of names ran through her mind. _Remus. Minerva. Filius. Albus. Molly and Arthur. Even Horace. Anyone but Tuney, please_, Lily thought desperately. She knew what her sister was like about magic and could only imagine how she would have brought Harry up.

She watched as Harry, James, Sirius and Teddy, Remus' son, along with Luna, flashed out of the room. She blinked and there was another flash and they were back with two extra bodies. Lily rudely cut off the conversation she was involved in and ran to Remus, enveloping him in a hug.

"Lily," Remus said quietly as he hugged her.

"Oh, Remus. It's so good to see you," Lily said before looking to Tonks, "Am I going to be introduced to this young lady?"

"Hey! She's older than you, Lily," Remus chuckled, "This is my wi...well I guess we aren't really married here. Anyway, her name is Nymphadora Tonks. And I'm sure you've met Teddy."

"Yes I have. Nice to meet you Nymphadora," Lily said pleasantly but backed away when her hair flared red. Remus laughed.

"Please, call me Tonks for now. God I hate that name! What was the woman thinking? I mean Nymphadora? Really?" Tonks burst out.

"I think it's pretty, mum," Teddy said quietly, his hair turning from bubblegum pink to baby blue. Tonks then enveloped her son in a brilliant hug.

"You might say that, but we made sure not to give you an embarrassing name like that," She said smiling, "We love you very much."

Lily watched as Teddy started to cry. This was the first time he could remember his parents ever telling him that they loved him. Lily could tell it was a huge moment for him. There was a family hug not long after and Lily realised that this was a beautiful family.

Harry, as soon as he touched down, went to find Frank. For the next retrieval, Frank was the only one not already with Luna. Harry smirked as he thought about what would happen when Mad-Eye saw not one, not two, but three out-of-commission aurors. Harry imagined it would involve a lot of hexes and shouting. Luckily, he didn't have to go with them, so he was pretty much safe from Moody's wrath.

He found Frank once again in conversation with Alice, Albus and Ariana. He pulled him aside. "Frank, who was it that taught you to be an auror?"

"Alastor Moody. I think he trained ninety percent of the aurors from 1950 to 1980," He replied.

"What do you think about Moody, personally?" Harry asked, trying not to smile.

"He was one paranoid bastard," Frank replied smiling, "But he had morals. He would never kill unless he had to and really hated Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

"Good. How would you like to go on a retrieval mission to get him?" Harry asked, smiling at Frank's astounded face.

"When did the old codger die?" He asked amazed.

"July 28th 1997," Harry replied sadly, thinking that he died trying to get Harry to safety.

Frank nodded. "I'll go. It might be fun to play with Mad-Eye's mind a bit," He said with a smirk.

"My thoughts exactly," Harry smirked along with Frank as they walked to where Luna was watching Remus and Tonks talk to James, Lily, and Sirius. Harry walked up to his Godfather.

"Padfoot," He said quickly, "Want to go and 'retrieve' Mad-Eye?"

Sirius' eyes widened but he said nothing. He just nodded. Remus was being reacquainted with Frank so Harry turned to Tonks and his father. "What about you two?"

"What are we doing?" James asked.

"Going to 'retrieve' Mad-Eye," Harry said. Harry saw a flash of pain flicker across both Tonks' and James' faces. They both nodded, "Excellent. The only problem we have is that blasted eye of his. He can see anything so he'll know you're there. That means it'll be harder to have some fun."

"Well..." Tonks started thinking, "If we start off far away enough from his house, he may not see anyone. I can get to his house easily enough and I can distract him enough for Sirius, Frank and James to sneak up on him, though I don't think that will be a good idea."

Harry smiled at Tonks. "Just disarm him as soon as you can. And make sure you keep that staff of his away too. That staff is as good as a wand and we can't have him using it. If you can do that I think you could catch him off guard enough, though I wouldn't put it past him to get physical."

"How do you mean 'have some fun' by the way?" Tonks asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, we already have two Invisibility Cloaks, mine and my fathers. I assume you have yours on you?" Tonks nodded, her eyes widening slightly in realisation of what Harry was planning, "Excellent. Padfoot can use mine, Dad can use his and Frank can use yours. Mad-Eye knows you are alive at this point so you are the best person to approach him," Harry then went on to outline the rest of the plan. Sirius and his father both deemed it 'Marauder Worthy' and Harry beamed, "That's really it. Oh, and I want to see a pensieve memory when you get back. Mad-Eye's reaction will be priceless."

Tonks nodded, smirking, and turned to Luna to tell her where to go. They seemed to talk longer than necessary before Luna nodded and Tonks went over the plan with Sirius, James and Frank, who all agreed to the plan. Luna soon held out the staff and they were all gone in a flash.

**26****th**** July 1997**

Within a second Tonks found herself standing in a dark alleyway. She looked around and shook her head in amazement. Somehow, some way, she was going to prank Mad-Eye Moody with Frank Longbottom, Sirius Black and James Potter. It was as if she was living in a fantasy world. People had always told her how good these three were when they were aurors. They were almost legendary within the auror group. Well, that wasn't true really. Once Sirius' 'allegiance' was found out, he became somewhat of a taboo topic at Auror HQ, but seeing as Tonks was related to him, they were slightly lenient to her.

Tonks watched as Luna de-aged herself, shortened the staff to 'wand-sized' and watched in amusement as the girl picked up an empty soda can and started to look at it analytically. They had agreed that Luna should go along with Tonks. It was a plausible story. The Lovegoods were attacked and Luna's father hadn't made it. Tonks was going to Mad-Eye to see what to do. Plus, Luna's presence would keep Mad-Eye occupied a lot longer than if it had just been Tonks.

Tonks and Luna set out rather swiftly to head to Moody's house. Not many people ever thought of Moody living in a house, and fewer knew exactly where he lived. The only two on this date that knew were Kingsley Shacklebolt and herself. As no one knew where he lived, Moody had not placed the place under Fidelius, though it was horrendously warded. Tonks seriously doubted if anyone who meant _any_ kind of harm to Moody would ever get through the wards. She hoped that this didn't include slight pranking.

It wasn't long when they approached the old, worn-down house. It seemed as if no one had lived there in years. But that was truly Mad-Eye's style. Tonks had recalled people saying, on occasion, that Mad-Eye would have to live in a cave. This place was not really a step up. Even Mundungus lived in a better place, and that was saying something.

They slowly approached the house, and Tonks was relieved to find that none of the wards had been triggered. At least none that were dangerous. As usual, the front door burst open before Tonks even knocked. Moody was there, brandishing his wand, ready to pounce. His magical eye was swivelling in its socket, obviously searching for any sign of an ambush. Finally it came to rest on Luna, but his other eye was on Tonks.

"How many times did you trip over that umbrella stand shaped like a troll's leg at Headquarters?" He growled, his magical eye not leaving Luna. Tonks smiled.

"Eighteen times. A record if I am not mistaken," Tonks replied sounding rather amused, yet pleased with herself. Moody, being the paranoid old auror he was simply grunted and gruffly led Tonks into the house. When they got to the uninviting sitting room, Tonks and Luna took a seat and Moody set his staff aside, to lean it on a wall before sitting some distance away from it.

"What the devil d'you want Nymphadora?" Mad-Eye growled. Tonks' hair went a red colour but she pushed down her anger.

"Don't call me that, Mad-Eye," She said almost managing to make it sound pleasant, "I'm here because the Lovegood Residence was attacked only minutes ago. Xeno was killed but Luna here made it out. I came to see what I should do with her," To Tonks' relief Moody was focused solely on the blonde and never saw the front door to his home slowly open. _Moody should have felt the wards_, Tonks mused, _maybe he's too involved with what's going on. Or maybe he expects more of the Order?_ Either way, Mad-Eye seemed not to notice.

"I dunno Tonks," Mad-Eye said gruffly, "Maybe stick her with Molly and Arthur until Hogwarts? One more wouldn't hurt them, eh?"

Tonks pretended to look thoughtful as Luna decided to talk. "I think that would be good Professor Moody," She said dreamily, "I like the Weasleys. Ginny is my friend."

Moody didn't show any recognition. He just turned to Tonks with both eyes. "Do that then," He told her.

"One more thing, Mad-Eye," Tonks said smiling as sweetly as she could. Before Mad-Eye could react she had her wand pointed at him, "_Expelliarmus!_" she shouted and Moody's wand flew to her and she caught it. Before Moody could react, Tonks saw three bodies appear.

"CONSTANT VIGILINCE!" The three men shouted as Moody's eye focused on them and he flew around. Moody was pretty damn good in a fist fight. Tonks knew that because he had taught her physical fighting as well. He tackled Sirius to the ground first before getting off him and heading for Frank. Even despite his wooden leg, he was reasonably agile. Lots of fists were thrown and Moody actually seemed to be winning at one point. He had James in a headlock and was fighting off the other two with his one good leg and his free arm.

Tonks really should have saved them. But, truth be told, this was immensely funny. It was all she could do to not simply break out laughing. Moody thought he had them but he was soon overpowered by the combined efforts of James, Frank and Sirius. But the three men overcame him had had their wands trained on the old auror.

"You disgust me! Impersonating the dead!" Moody spat on the floor, "You Death Eaters really have lowered yourselves too far! Go on then! Kill me you bastards!" Sirius, James and Frank all chuckled. One by one they identified themselves.

"I'm Frank Longbottom. Auror since 1976. You trained me along with another man named Willhelm Grog. In our first lesson you made me do a grand total of 794 push-ups," Frank told him. Mad-Eye's one good eye seemed to bug out and he actually paled slightly.

"Sirius Black. Auror since 1979. There had to be an exception made for us to have shorter training due to necessities of the war. You trained both myself and James Potter. I think my push-up record still stands with a total of 1,756 in one day. You almost killed me old man," Sirius said grinning. Moody paled further.

"James Potter. Auror since 1979. Same deal as Sirius. In our first session you said these exact words to me: 'You know, Potter. I don't think I've ever seen someone so damn dedicated to chasing down Dark Wizards. Good work.'," James said, almost perfectly imitating Mad-Eye who almost collapsed. Tonks had never seen her mentor look like this ever before.

"But you're all –" Mad-Eye was cut off by Frank.

"Dead? Yeah, I suppose we are in this universe," Frank said slyly. Moody raised a scarred eyebrow, "I think we should leave this to Luna to explain. I don't really get it all myself," Moody turned to Luna who was watching the exchange with quite a bit of interest.

"Tell me, Professor, how much do you know of Yargly?" Luna asked pleasantly.

"Enough to know that he'd be dead by now," Moody said pointedly.

"Yes and no," Luna said, "He's travelling the universes."

"Oh, really? You believe that do you, girl?" Moody said slightly angrily.

"Yes, indeed Professor," Luna said, as if she had not heard the insult, "He gave me this," She took out the smaller staff and re-sized it. Moody's eye widened as she made herself older again, "Yargly infused all of his magic into this staff. As a result, we can travel the universes and move around in time."

"Okay then. If that's true, why come here? And now?" Moody asked gruffly.

"We're here to save you of course," Luna replied airily, "You see, we come from the year 2011, thirteen years after the second war. We won, but took a lot of casualties. Using this staff we have been going around the universes and retrieving our lost family members and friends."

"I knew I'd die," Moody growled, "When? How?"

"Can't tell you," Tonks replied, "The instigators of this, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, George and Luna, have all decided that we will read a book series chronicling Harry's school life to find all of this out."

Moody growled. "So if I stay, I die?" Luna and Tonks nodded. James, Frank and Sirius were simply watching. Moody had never sustained a conversation this long with any of them, "And if I go with you, I live?" Nods again, "Not much of a choice then is there?"

Sirius chuckled. "Not really old man," He said good naturedly as Moody growled, "Don't worry, we've been there."

"Granted, us three had reasons other than survival to come back," James said.

"Oh, I'm going back. I owe you three some training sessions I think," Moody said. The three aurors paled considerably. Moody never once turned around, "What do we do, then?"

"Here's your wand," Tonks said, handing him the wand before Frank handed him his staff, "Now all you have to do is hold on to Yargly's staff. Luna'll do the rest."

Moody looked sceptical but did as Tonks said. Soon they all disappeared in a flash of light.

**2nd May, 2011**

Albus Dumbledore was watching the conversation between Harry, Nymphadora, James, Frank and Sirius with some interest. It was obvious that they were discussing the next retrieval. For the life of him, Albus couldn't work out who it could be they would be retrieving. He looked down to his younger sister and smiled. Her face was a face he never thought he would ever see again, and it felt wonderful to have her with him again. Some of the guilt had even washed away.

Of course, he still did wonder who it was that hit Ariana. Even viewing the memory in a pensieve could never show him accurately. And, as he could not conclusively say otherwise, he had always blamed himself. He hardly told anyone about Ariana because he couldn't bring himself to. It was too painful.

He was swiftly brought out of his thoughts by a flash of light, followed quickly by a second. He saw six bodies. Luna, James, Sirius, Frank, Nymphadora and his old friend Alastor. Albus' heart sank. _Alastor died?_ He thought sadly. He was about to go over and say hello to his dear friend when Harry walked up to him.

"Albus, would you like me to take care of your lovely sister, while you go over and meet Mad-Eye?" He asked politely smiling at Ariana.

"Thank you Harry," Albus said before looking at Ariana, "Be nice with Harry, okay?" She nodded so Albus walked to Alastor.

Harry looked at Ariana. "How are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm okay. A little bit scared," She said, moving closer to Harry. _Quite the understatement_, Harry thought.

"Why's that, Ariana?"

"I'm not used to being around so many people," She admitted quietly, "And everyone here can do magic. Magic scares me."

Harry already knew this, but decided to try something. "Why does magic scare you?"

"The boys," She said in little more than a whisper. There were tears in her eyes, "They made fun of me and hurt me because I did magic."

"No one here will make fun of you or hurt you," Harry said soothingly, "I wouldn't let them and neither would Albus."

"You wouldn't?" She seemed surprised.

"Of course not," Harry reassured her, "I know what it's like to be made fun of and hurt because of magic."

"Why?"

"I grew up with a family that hates magic. And when I did accidental magic they punished me. But then I went to Hogwarts and I learnt all about magic and now I love it."

"You love magic?" She asked incredulously.

"Of course," Harry said, "Let me show you something funny," He pointed his wand towards Ginny, "_Accio Ginny_."

Ginny shrieked as she tore towards Harry and Harry caught her, only just retaining his balance. Ariana was giggling slightly. Harry liked her little giggle. "See?"

"What was that all about, Harry James Potter?" Ginny said indignantly, climbing out of her husband's arms.

"I was just showing young Ariana here how great magic is," Harry replied grinning. Ariana giggled again. Ginny then turned to face Ariana who was very close to Harry.

"Yes, it is very funny. Watch this one," Ginny pointed her wand at Harry and silently cast a spell. Ariana burst out in giggles, though Harry couldn't tell what Ginny did. Then he looked at his skin which was the exact colour of his eyes. He looked at Ariana.

"You see, Ariana, magic is fun," Harry told the smiling girl.

"Indeed it is, Harry," Albus said from behind him.

"How long have you been there Albus?" Harry asked.

"Since you summoned Ginevra. I like to see Ariana giggling. I never saw enough of that," He sighed.

Ariana moved to Albus. "Albus...can I..." She trailed off, looking uncertain.

"Yes, Ariana?"

"Can I learn magic?" She asked tentatively. Albus looked at her for a few seconds before a tear escaped him.

"Of course you can Ariana!" Albus said happily, "We'll go and get you a wand tomorrow."

Ariana's smile lit up the room as she was hugged by her big brother. Albus then turned to Harry. "Thank you so much, Harry. I can never repay you."

"Well, come on the next retrieval and I think we can be even," Harry said slyly.

"Okay. Who is it?" Albus asked eagerly.

"Amelia Bones," Harry replied as Albus' face fell, "I think that you, Mad-Eye and myself would be best to go to 'retrieve' her."

Albus thought for a few seconds. "That's probably best. She'll listen to me and Alastor at least. What about Ariana?"

"I don't know," Harry turned to Ariana, "Can you stay with Ginny while Albus and I go and save a nice lady?" Ariana looked tentatively at Ginny who nodded. Ariana then turned to Harry and nodded as well, "That's good."

"Maybe it might be good," Albus said thoughtfully, "To introduce her to the younger kids. Can you do that Ginevra?"

"I can. I'll tell them to be careful of her. Is that alright with you Ariana?" The young girl nodded slowly.

"Excellent!" Albus exclaimed, "Let us go and inform Alastor that he has no choice but to accompany us. It should be good fun!" He chuckled and Harry soon followed suit. For all his faults, Harry really liked Albus and missed him immensely. They walked together to where Moody was scanning the room with his blue eye, obviously wary of everyone.

"Alastor!" Albus said jovially, "Harry and I would like your assistance in a matter of some urgency."

"Alright, Dumbledore, what the hell d'you want?" Moody growled.

Harry answered. "We want to go and get Amelia Bones, and we would like you to come with us."

"Why me?" Moody asked.

"Amelia will listen to you," Albus said evenly, "We need her to understand and you and I are the best choices to help her do that."

Moody rubbed his scarred chin. "I s'pose you're right. So what? We just grab hold of the girl's staff and we go and get Bones? No plan?"

Harry laughed. "Of course there is a plan, Mad-Eye. Disarm her as soon as possible. Make sure she can't kill us."

Moody grunted and shifted his staff in his hands. "Guess that makes sense. Fine, I'll go. But no others. I'm too old to be jumping the damn universes."

Harry chuckled as Luna held out the staff and the three men grabbed hold, disappearing a second later in a flash of light.

**28****th**** April, 1996**

The four found themselves in a secluded part of the Ministry of Magic. Albus looked around at the place. He knew the Ministry Building probably better than anyone in the whole world. Politics was never really his game, especially after what happened between himself and Gellert Grindelwald. He had tried his very hardest to not let himself get as low as he did when he was around Gellert. Gellert brought out both the best and worst in him. He found that, after many years of deliberation, that he did love him.

Not after what happened to Ariana. No. Never. Though, the duel with Gellert had hurt him a lot. It was one of the most emotionally painful days of his life but he knew the price if he didn't do it. Somehow Gellert had gotten a hold of the Elder Wand. Part of Albus knew that was an allure for him to seek out and duel Gellert. The Hallows had always had some sort of power over Albus, no matter how much he tried to quash those feelings. His thoughts _always_ went to the Resurrection Stone and whether it could get Ariana back. He really didn't want the other two in particular. Just that one.

And now, because of Harry, he had no reason to have the Stone. He was given his sister again and was immensely appreciative. As if that wasn't enough, Harry had even gotten her to want to actually learn magic. Oh, how one's life could change in one day! He would have to contact Aberforth as soon as they finished the retrievals.

Albus looked over to Luna. She had shortened the staff and put it behind her ear. Albus smiled. Her father was very much the same in his time at Hogwarts, and it was no wonder that she, too, was like that. He looked to his old friend Alastor. There was a very short list of people that he would trust his life to and Alastor was one. Albus wondered how it came to pass that Alastor came into Harry's life. _Well Voldemort returned_, Albus thought, _I can't imagine Alastor simply standing on the sidelines_. He looked to the amazing man, Harry Potter. This man, was Albus' saviour in many more ways than one. Albus didn't have to wonder why Harry was doing all of this. He was, to put it simply, Lily Potter's son.

"Well," Harry said quietly, "Let's get going, then," Albus and Alastor nodded while Luna seemed to have no reaction. Albus noticed that Luna walked fairly close to Harry. It was obvious that she treasured her friendships. If Albus understood things correctly, she was prepared to just retrieve all those lost that Harry chose, but Harry allowed her to go and get her mother. Such a selfless act on both parts.

They all walked in relative silence through the halls of the Ministry, with the main exception being the solid clunks of Alastor's staff and wooden foot. They soon came to the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement's Office. Albus sighed, wondering how Amelia was killed and why. He still felt immensely bad for the loss of Edgar, Patricia and their children Marilyn (who was twelve), Stephen (who was nine) and Dale (who was five) as well as Edgar and Amelia's parents, Susie and Robert. While thinking of them all he turned to Harry who was about to open the door.

"Wait, Harry," Albus urged, "I think I might know the best way for us to get Amelia to come with us."

"How so?" Harry asked, intrigued.

"I don't know whether you know or not, but Amelia's parents, her brother and his wife and kids were all killed by either Death Eaters or Voldemort himself. We could offer to get them as well," Albus replied, his eyes twinkling. Harry smiled.

"Good thinking there, Albus," The young man said.

"I agree, Dumbledore," Moody said gruffly, "But let's get a move on. Haven't got all day, have we?"

Harry and Albus both chuckled as Harry reached out to open the door. Albus held his wand firmly in his hand. As did Harry, Alastor and Luna. They were all very prepared for what could happen with Amelia. As soon as they opened the door, they saw a woman sitting at her desk. She had a square jaw and very short grey hair and a monocle. She jumped and instantly had her wand in her hand.

"Oh, Albus. It's just you. Scared me half to death old man!" Amelia sighed as she lowered her wand, "And Alastor too. Pleasure. Though I cannot say that I know these other two, though the black-haired one shares a striking resemblance to –" Harry cut her off.

"James Potter?" He asked. Albus then realised how similar the two men truly were.

"Actually yes, though I did not know that he had a brother," Amelia frowned.

"He doesn't," Harry replied with a smile, "I'm actually Harry Potter."

Amelia scowled and pulled out her wand. She was wordlessly disarmed by Alastor. "The first time I saw you, Amelia, I told you that monocles went out of style years ago. You then replied, saying something about my weight," Alastor said with a strange smile on his face. Having scars like that make your smiles strange. Amelia raised her eyebrows before looking to Albus.

"The first time you were in my office was because you had been caught out of bed after hours with one Gregory Halfrak," Albus smiled as Amelia actually blushed, "Is that sufficient enough?"

"For you and Alastor maybe. But this one," Amelia pointed a finger at Harry, "Claims to be Harry Potter. Did you know this when you brought him here?"

"Of course," Albus replied happily, "In face he and Miss Scamander were the ones who convinced myself and Alastor to come and see you. But they explain this far better than I ever could."

Amelia sighed in resignation and looked to Harry. "Go on then," She said wearily, "Tell me why you are here."

"Within a few days, you will be killed," Amelia's eyes widened, "And I'm here, along with Luna, to prevent this. Tell me Madam Bones, have you ever heard of Yargly?"

Amelia nodded. "I have indeed. But what does he have to do with anything?"

"So you know what magical powers he possessed?"

"Universal Travel, apparently," Amelia replied absently, "He was also rather gifted at memory-modification charms and human transfigurations. He was well on the way to becoming the next Merlin."

Harry nodded. "You are correct Madam. As to why this is important, Luna do you mind?" Harry asked politely, turning to the blonde.

"Of course not Harry," Luna replied taking the wand-sized staff from behind her ear and extending it, eliciting a small gasp from Amelia. The whole confrontation was interesting to Albus. He had never seen Amelia this way before. It was a breath of fresh air, "Yargly infused his magical power into this staff. Through this staff we are able to jump across universes and go through time."

Amelia was speechless. "You see, Madam Bones, we come from the primary universe where it is 2011. It is many years after the end of the second war, but there were too many casualties for our liking. Luna was given this staff by Yargly himself and we are using it to retrieve some of the dead from the First and Second Wars. Albus and Mad-Eye are two of those people."

Amelia regained her composure to the point where she could speak coherently. "So, Albus, Alastor and myself are all casualties of the second war?" Harry nodded, "How?"

"I cannot tell you," Harry said. At Amelia's raised eyebrows he continued, "When we have gotten everyone from the list we have, we all plan on reading a set of seven books on my life at Hogwarts to fill in the blanks. So, I would rather not have people know how they, or others, die."

Amelia, to her credit, nodded diplomatically. "I must admit I am tempted," She said with a sigh, "Are Susan and her parents alive in your universe?"

"Yes, they are. But they have not been told about what we are planning just yet," Harry replied.

"Well, I must say, there is really nothing to lose here, except a few years," Amelia said. Albus decided to interject here.

"Harry and I have discussed something before coming here," Albus said with a smile, "We think we can offer you something more."

"And what might that be?" Amelia asked curiously.

"Edgar, Patricia, Marilyn, Stephen, Dale and your parents," Albus chuckled at the shocked reaction on Amelia's face.

"You...you would do that for me?" She asked, dumbfounded.

"Of course we would," Luna replied, "We all love our families and I know what it can be like without one. I went and got my mother today, Harry got his parents, Professor Dumbledore got his sister and we have gotten quite a few more as well."

Amelia was now very teary. So much so that she didn't even question that Albus had a sister. Albus was happy because that meant that he would not have to explain it to her. "Thank you. I'll do it. Right now!" Amelia picked up her wand and went around the room getting personal items, "What do I do?"

"First things first," Harry said, "When do you want us to go to? What day and time?"

"They were all killed together. Go to Bones Manor. July eleventh in 1981 around midday," Amelia answered quickly.

Harry nodded and Luna held out the staff. "Just grab hold," Amelia did just that and soon they felt the familiar pull at their navel and they were off.

**11****th**** July, 1981**

Amelia had to slightly adjust her monocle as she felt her feet hit the grass. Her heart had not stopped racing since Albus, Alastor, Luna and Harry had told her what was going on. She was getting a chance to get Edgar, Patricia, Marilyn, Stephen, Dale and her parents back. She hadn't seen them for near fourteen years. Damn Voldemort killed them all. Even the kids. _Bastard_, Amelia thought bitterly.

She thought back to the years she spent with Susan, Raymond and Janelle. They were her only family. Raymond was her brother and she could not thank him enough for being there for her throughout her life. Janelle was like her own sister, and in many ways she was just that. Then there was Susan. Susan was the reason for Amelia's existence. She loved her niece more than she loved life itself.

Now she was giving her family a chance at life again. A chance that Voldemort ruined on the 12th of July in 1981. Her family was the last one attacked by Voldemort himself before the Potters were attacked. The McKinnons were attacked mere days before her family and the Prewetts about a month prior. Four prominent magical families all decimated in a month and a half. All because of Voldemort.

Now Harry Potter, of all people, is telling her that she can go to a world where Voldemort is no more. _What a beautiful thought_, Amelia thought happily. Just like Albus, Amelia had her doubts about whether the Dark Lord was truly dead for those years between the Potters' death and the end of Susan's first year. Albus had immediately told her what happened between Harry and Quirrell and how Voldemort was possessing him. Sometimes she hated being right.

She looked at her companions. _What a bunch_, Amelia thought wryly. Battle-worn Mad-Eye Moody, the greatest wizard alive Albus Dumbledore, the immensely eccentric Luna Lovegood and the 'Boy Who Lived' Harry Potter.

Amelia looked to Albus. "I'd better be going. Albus, I think it might be prudent for you to accompany me. As I understand it, Edgar and Patricia were in your Order at this point, so you might be able to get through to them more than me."

"That they were, Amelia," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling, "And that might be a good idea. But I think a slight 'cosmetic' change might be necessary. Luna?"

The blonde girl pointed the staff at Albus and said a few Latin words and there was a flash of light. Then, standing in front of her, was a slightly younger Albus Dumbledore. Amelia was gobsmacked.

"It's one of the staff's abilities," Luna said noticing Amelia's amazed look, "It can actually age someone in both directions. Your turn Madam Bones," Amelia gulped and nodded. Luna pointed the staff at her and she felt her body morph rather quickly. Her hair grew longer and it was now a dark brown colour rather than grey. She felt her face tighten slightly as well.

"Much better," Moody growled, "Now hurry up! I said only one universe jump and you send me on two of the bloody things! You're all lucky I'm nice!" Despite the nervousness, Amelia laughed a full throaty laugh with Albus, Harry and even Luna. She also noticed the edge's of Alastor's mouth turn upwards as well.

"I guess we better go then," Amelia said, the nervousness returning, "Stay in the front yard here and I will bring them all out," She then had a bad thought, "Your staff can accommodate twelve people right?"

Luna nodded. "It has no limit except for if there is not part of the staff able to be touched. Even then I can just lengthen it a bit more. Ingenious really," She replied distantly.

Amelia felt a lot better as she turned and walked to the mansion. Compared to a lot of the other pureblood family mansions, Bones Manor was quite beautiful. It was painted a cream colour and had vines crawling the side of the house slightly. The manor was three stories high. The Bones family had always been well-to-do.

She walked to the front door with Albus in tow. It felt strange, as it always did, knocking on the front door of such a large manor. When she did, the door almost instantly opened to show a small house elf.

"Mistress Amelia! You is being here!" Shouted the elf before hugging Amelia.

"Calm down Plinky," Amelia admonished lightly, though her heart wasn't in it, "Just let Edgar and Patricia know I'm here with Albus Dumbledore," The elf bowed deeply to Albus before disappearing with a crack. About half a minute later she returned with Edgar and Patricia. Amelia's heart almost broke, but she had to keep up appearances. To them, nothing bad had happened.

"Edgar! So nice to see you," Amelia said, trying to keep her voice steady as she embraced both of them, "And Patricia. Lovely to see you. Where are my niece and nephews?"

"They are in the living room with mum and dad," Edgar replied, smiling a smile Amelia hadn't seen in years, "Nice to see you Albus. Not here on Order business are you?"

"No, I am not," Albus replied, "Amelia and I are here for the same reason. It might be best to talk to your whole family together. It involves Voldemort."

Edgar and Patricia blanched at the thought of what their family could have to do with Voldemort. "Of course, Albus," Patricia said shakily, "Plinky will take us to the living room," Plinky nodded happily, took Edgar and Patricia's hands and popped away, returning second later to take Albus and Amelia.

Amelia looked around the all too familiar living room. She got Bones Manor in Edgar's will and had lived in it since they died, but rarely actually spent time there. Too many bad memories. She saw her niece and nephews run to her and she engulfed them all in hugs, fighting back tears. She then embraced her parents before taking a seat on a large sofa with Albus.

"Let's cut to the chase shall we?" Amelia asked quickly, "Voldemort plans to attack here tomorrow," All of the Bones' save Amelia and Dale, he was too young to understand, paled.

"How do you know this, dear?" Susie, Amelia's mother asked.

"It's a long story," Amelia said, looking to Albus.

"Have any of you heard of Yargly?" He asked simply. Everyone shook their heads, including the children, "He was a wizard centuries ago who was on the path to be stronger than Merlin himself. He learnt how to 'jump' across universes and go through time. Amazing magic. But early in his life he disappeared without a trace. Until today," Albus said mysteriously as the adults and two older children listened on. Dale had made his way into Amelia's lap, "We are not from this universe."

"Not from this universe?" Edgar asked.

"We are not," Albus clarified, "Earlier today, our time, a young woman by the name of Luna Scamander was visited by Yargly himself. He gave her a rather special staff. As it turns out, he placed all of his magic within it. With it, we are able to go across universes."

"But why here? Why us?" Robert, Amelia's father, asked. Amelia replied.

"Because all of you got killed in the attack that is scheduled for tomorrow and we want you back," She said, hoping they would agree to leave with her.

"A-all of us?" Little Stephen asked. Amelia frowned.

"Sadly yes. We wish to take you to the 'original universe'. To the year 2011. Voldemort is gone by then, though I don't know how. I died somewhere around 1996 apparently. Albus died as well. We have been retrieved from other universes."

Edgar looked to Albus who nodded solemnly. Edgar looked to his wife and then his parents who all nodded their assent. "Okay. I think we have to go. Save us, and you, a lot of grief," Edgar said. The rest of the family nodded.

"Excellent!" Albus exclaimed, "Grab a few personal belongings. Wands and such. We can get you your other belongings when we get back. You will need to come out the front of the house to where Alastor Moody, Luna Scamander and Harry Potter are waiting."

"Harry Potter?" Edgar asked incredulously, "James and Lily's boy?"

"The one and only. What a wonderful man he is, too," Albus said fondly. Amelia couldn't help but agree with him. Within minutes Amelia, Albus and the rest of the Bones family made their way outside. After a few introductions Harry regarded all of them.

"If you know the fate of anyone you may see when we get back, no telling them. You see, we are planning on reading a series of seven books about my Hogwarts days which should answer everything in better detail than I can. Can everyone do that?" He received nods from all of the Bones'. He regarded little Dale, who Amelia was holding, "Are you sure Dale? It's a big thing keeping a secret. Can you do it?" Dale giggled and nodded, "Excellent! Luna, do you mind?"

"Of course not Harry," Luna said serenely, "Everyone grab hold. Amelia, make sure that Dale does as well."

Everyone did as they were told and soon disappeared in a flash of light, Dale giggling as he spun.

**2****nd**** May, 2011**

After returning from his retrieval of Mad-Eye, Sirius was playing with all of the kids, except Teddy who was with his parents. Sirius wanted to spend time with Remus and Tonks as well, but he realised what it meant to Teddy to actually have his parents in his life. Sirius knew that Remus would make a good father. Out of all four Marauders it was him that they all agreed would be the best parent, and yet he was the one who was least likely to have a child.

While never actually telling him, James, Remus and Sirius all agreed that Peter would be the worst parent out of the lot of them. Followed by Sirius, then James. When James had Harry, it was truly a happy occasion for Sirius as he was announced as Godfather. Remus and Peter were also immensely happy. Well, maybe not Peter. Sirius never really found out for how long the rat was feeding information to Voldemort, and frankly he didn't want to know.

Peter's betrayal hurt Sirius deeply. Not because Peter betrayed him. Oh no, Sirius could have lived with that. It was because Peter betrayed James and Lily that Sirius loathed him. Before anything else, Sirius believed in loyalty. It was the one Death Eater trait that people could accuse him of. He was fiercely loyal and looked down upon those who were disloyal to friends. Peter fit that bill quite nicely.

That night, when Sirius went after Peter, Sirius could only feel rage. He could actually feel his murderous instinct in him. Peter betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort and they were killed because of it. _Tit for tat_, Sirius had thought as he tried to find the rat. He wanted Peter to die for what he did. But then the rat turned the tables on him. Sirius had to admit, it was ingenious what Peter did. Granted, Sirius didn't exactly help matters by standing there screaming about having killed James and Lily and laughing like a freaking maniac.

_Oh well_, Sirius thought, _The past is the past now_. He felt so happy to have James and Lily back along with Regulus. _Oh, Regulus_. Sirius now knew that his brother was against Voldemort in the end and he hated himself for being so happy about his death. It was a terrible thing to do, especially to a brother. But now, thanks to Harry and his friends, Sirius was given a second chance with a lot of people.

He watched young Albus as Regulus played with him and little Rose. Regulus was a natural with kids. It had only been a short while, but Sirius felt a true connection with all of these kids, particularly Harry and Ginny's. Looking away from the kids he saw Severus standing against a wall with a small smile on his face. Severus was another thing entirely and Sirius didn't really want to think about it. At least not yet.

As he looked away from Severus he saw the flash of light which meant that a group had gone on another retrieval. Sirius still did not know who was being retrieved but hoped that it was not someone who he was close to, though most of them were here right at that point. Within mere seconds there was a second flash and this time, Sirius was looking directly at where they returned. He was shocked to see so many bodies. He noticed Harry, Dumbledore, Mad-Eye and Luna. He also saw Amelia Bones as well and he felt slightly sick. Amelia was a very powerful witch and even she died because of the war. But the people with them, Sirius had to do a double take of before noticing that it was Edgar Bones and Patricia Bones along with the rest of their family. He felt so happy seeing them all. He remembered the day that Mad-Eye had walked into the Order Meeting and told them what had happened. Sirius felt even more proud of his Godson and all of his friends.

Fred and George were sitting off to a side with Ron and Angelina. Ginny was looking after Ariana, Dumbledore's sister, while Albus was on a retrieval mission. George could not have been happier. He had his twin back after thirteen years and, if all went to plan, he would have his uncles back as well. Their mother always talked about Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon. They were twins and she always said how much Fred and George reminded her of them. But they both saw her pain whenever she talked of them. George remembered seeing her pain when she gave Harry his uncle's watch for his seventeenth birthday. Harry never went a day without wearing that watch. It was a true show that she loved Harry like a son. Fred and George both had no problems with that.

They both looked up from their conversation when they saw the flash of light indicating that a group had just left for a retrieval. George knew who it was going to be, but Fred had no clue. George hadn't told him anything about who was being retrieved or why. Soon, there was another flash of light and both twins were shocked to see how many people had been retrieved.

Fred and George stood up and pulled Harry aside. "I thought you were just going to get Madam Bones, Harry," George said as Fred watched on. Harry shrugged.

"Albus suggested that we should offer to get her family in order to get her to come with us. It was that suggestion that clinched it for us," Harry replied nonchalantly.

"So who are they, Harry?" Fred asked. Harry told them all of the names, with some help from Dumbledore as he could not be expected to remember all of them after meeting them for the first time only minutes beforehand.

"Well, they do fit the criteria," George said with a smile, "Besides, it's always nice to meet new people."

"Speaking of new people, I think you two are up next," Harry said, grinning. Luckily George had filled Fred in on the fact that they were going to retrieve their Uncles. Both twins grinned.

"Indeed it is, Ickle Harrikins," Fred said with a chuckle.

"Oi! I'm older than you are Fred!" Harry said smiling and Fred clutched at his heart in mock pain. Before anyone else could say anything, Luna walked over.

"Fred. George. Are you ready to go?" Luna asked dreamily. Fred and George looked at each other before nodding. Harry clapped both of them on the back, "Do you think I should make you younger, George? So you look more like Fred again?"

George was slightly taken aback at that thought, though he had no doubt about his reply. "Go ahead Luna," He said happily. Angelina probably wouldn't mind. Luna pointed the staff at him and soon he felt himself change in a flash of light. He clutched his missing ear in slight pain as it regrew. When it was over he reached up a hand and simply held his ear. _You really never know what you've got until it's gone_, George thought to himself.

"Now you two look identical again," Luna said, holding out the staff. George nodded to Fred who nodded back and both twins grabbed the staff and, in a flash of light, they were gone.

**15****th**** August, 1980**

The three universe travellers hit the dry ground and all quickly looked around. Fred and George looked at each other. They had both already felt this, but it was still amazing. Luna shortened the staff, stuck it behind her ear and wandered over to a tree and started observing it closely. Fred looked at her with his eyebrows raised, but George had gotten used to it over the years.

He nudged Fred and they both looked at the house in front of them. It wasn't like the Burrow, but it wasn't like Malfoy Manor either. It was a two story house. It looked very much like it belonged in the muggle world. To any outside viewer it wouldn't seem like any form of wizard would live there, let alone twin wizards.

Fred and George had been told by their mother that her side of the family had always been plagued with twins. For the last seven generations there has always been one set of twins at the very least and Fred and George were no exception. Not only that, the twins were always pranksters and always only males. Fred and George knew that this was the reason why their mother was never overly stern with them. Her father was one half of a set of twins and her brothers were twins as well and they were all alike.

For their whole life, Fred and George had wanted to meet their uncles. It was like a lifelong dream. That and meeting the Marauders. Of course, George knew who they were because Harry had told him after the war but Fred was not made aware of who they were. George had decided to make it a surprise, either through the books or James, Sirius and Remus themselves. He had to laugh at the look that Fred will have on his face upon learning that one was in Azkaban for killing the other over betraying a third and that one taught them for a year. He couldn't help but smile at the thought.

"Ready to go Georgie?" Fred asked, smiling.

"Of course, Freddie," George replied, "We've wanted this for years."

"Indeed we have. Let's get moving then, eh?" Fred said, nudging George to look at Luna, who was still observing the tree closely. It didn't take long for George to pry Luna away from the overly large tree. She was muttering some nonsense words under her breath but went with George anyway.

All three moved to the door of the house which was slightly elevated. They ascended the steps and stood in front of the door. Both Weasleys let out exactly the same sigh and Luna looked on as Fred reached for the door and knocked three times quickly but loudly. He stepped back a step waiting for the door to be answered. Within a few seconds the door creaked open to reveal two men who were almost the spitting image of Fred and George themselves, except that their red hair was cut quite close to their head. Fred, George, Fabian and Gideon all drew in a breath.

"Wow! We're identical!" They all shouted, smiling broadly. Fred and George remembered the last time they had used that phrase and George's hand instantly went up to his ear. He was slightly surprised to find it there, as he had not had it for a good thirteen years.

"Uh...Who are you and why do you look like us?" One of the other twins asked quickly, drawing their wand. The other followed suit very quickly. Luckily for Fred and George, they had failed to notice Luna who swiftly disarmed the two. They stared at her dumbfounded for a few seconds before angrily turning to Fred and George.

"Who are you?" The other twin asked, emphasising each word.

"Well, since you asked nicely. I'm Fred Weasley."

"And I'm George Weasley. That is Luna Scamander," George said pointing to Luna. At that moment, Fabian and Gideon broke out laughing.

"Hey Fabian," Gideon said between laughs.

"Yeah, Gideon?" Fabian replied.

"I think they just said they're Molly's twin boys," Gideon said, laughing even harder.

"I do believe they did brother mine," Fabian said.

"But seeing as we only saw these two yesterday and they were having trouble stringing together a sentence –"

"They cannot possibly be this old now. Unless we –"

"Slept for twenty years and missed them growing up," Gideon finished, the laughter having stopped and they were now looking at the two in front of them, "But if they meant us harm they would have already attacked us, so it must be safe."

"Indeed, Gideon. Perhaps we should invite them into our house?" Fabian phrased it as a question.

"Of course!" Gideon exclaimed, looking slyly at Fred and George, "They are family after all."

"Thank you, uncles," Fred and George both said at the same time. Luna had hold of Fabian and Gideon's wands and was watching the exchange with idle curiosity. Fabian held the door opened and gestured for all three of the universe travellers to enter. Gideon then escorted them to the sitting room. As they all sat down, Fabian spoke.

"So why are you impersonating our nephews and why are you doing such a terrible job of it?" He asked, slight anger in his voice. The same type of anger Fred had noticed was present whenever he and George saw a lackluster prank. Fred smiled and noticed George doing the same.

"Ah, dearest Uncle Fabian -" Fred began.

"We are your beloved nephews. Surely -"

"Our twin tendencies proves this?" Fabian and Gideon smiled reluctantly.

"How can we believe you -" Gideon began.

"Are telling the truth? These are -"

"Terrible times we live in. There are few -"

"People we can trust," Fabian completed. Luna was rubbing her temples by this point. Fred and George were grinning broadly.

"Well, we have been told some stories about you and our dear father," George said teasingly.

"Apparently, when your sister announced her relationship, you took dear Arthur Weasley aside and threatened him with a great many things if he ever hurt our mother."

"Lots of pranks."

"Broken bones."

"A stay in St. Mungo's."

"Murder."

"And the worst -" Fred and George both shuddered.

"Castration!" They both shouted at the same time. By this point Fabian and Gideon had lost all trace of suspicion, though it was replaced with a look of intrigue.

"But you both look to be -" Fabian started.

"Twenty-one years old. How?"

Fred and George gestured overdramatically to Luna and said, "Magic!"

Luna took the staff from behind her ear and lengthened it before giving a bow. Fred and George were extremely happy that Luna went along with it.

"That, our dear uncles," Fred said pompously.

"Is the staff that once belonged to a great wizard named Yargly," George continued.

"Are you familiar with the name?" When they received to head shakes, Fred turned to Luna, "Care to explain?"

Luna nodded. "Yargly lived years ago and was on the way to becoming the next Merlin, but then he disappeared without a trace. His specialty was the ability to jump across universes," Fabian and Gideon's eyes widened, "I came to be in possession of this staff in the year 2011 in the primary universe."

Fabian and Gideon looked lost for words. "You come from another universe?" They asked at the same time, with the same tone of incredulousness in their voices. Luna nodded serenely.

"Yes. You see, the world we came from went through two wars. The one you are currently in ends in just over a year but another starts in about fourteen years. In these two wars, we lost many people. We are attempting to get back those closest to us."

Fabian and Gideon gasped, obviously realising what was going on. "So we die then? How?"

"You got killed during an ambush on Voldemort in this war," Fred replied, "We plan on reading a set of seven books that will hopefully explain the second war to you, so we won't tell you anything about it."

"We can tell you that some major people die," George said sadly, "We are getting most of these people."

"So, you are telling us that we have a chance to leave this war for good and go some where peaceful -" Gideon said.

"And live with our family that we most likely wouldn't see much of because we would probably die?" Fred, George and Luna all nodded.

"Count us in!" Fabian and Gideon exclaimed together.

"All we ask is that, if you know how someone died, don't tell them. It will likely be explained in the books," Luna told the two before handing them back their wands.

"What do we have to do? Dance around like monkeys?" Fabian joked.

"Strip naked and dance around the staff?"

"Scream obscenities at the staff until it makes us leave?"

"Do all of these things at once?" All five people present laughed heartily before Luna held out the staff.

"Just grab hold. Beware though. It's like a Portkey," And with that, they all grabbed hold and felt the pulling sensation an there was a large flash of light and they disappeared.

* * *

**_Authors Note_**

**As you have no doubt noticed, I decided to cut Part 4 into two parts. This is primarily because I decided on Amelia Bones' family on the go and writing it made the chapter too long. Also, I have not written Ted Tonks or Colin Creevey as of yet. Dobby has been written.**

**Just a note, from now until the actual reading part, I will be writing everything because Kuhal does not have the time to write the retrievals, so I am personally doing all of these along with my own story which is kind of slowing down until I actually get the retrievals done for this story. **

**I realised halfway through writing this chapter how much information I am giving on some characters, like Dumbledore and Sirius. I hope you like that information which, while it has a basis in canon, is mostly my own ideas.**

**I also want to say sorry for the repetitive nature of the explanations. I am trying to vary them slightly each time to make them feel different. I hope I am achieving this.**

**What do you think of the Bones family being included? And also, what do you think of Fabian and Gideon being pretty much exactly the same as Fred and George? I liked that idea.**

**Thanks so much all who have reviewed!**

_**naddasyafira**_** - I am really looking forward to writing Tom Riddle. That will be the longest retrieval by far. I am also looking forward to the Colin Creevey one as well because I have a few good ideas for him too.**

_**SokkasFirstFangirl**_** - This was a joint effort between Kuhal and myself, but I was really trying to capture that emotion. I'm glad that it worked, even if only for you.**

**_Taeniaea_ - Thanks!**

_**Lily 1992**_** - Not really soon, I guess but I hope you can forgive us.**

_**EnglandBabe1997**_** - Thank you so very much. I really enjoy reading the different 'Reading the Harry Potter Books' fanfics but I thought I could do something different. Mostly I see time travel or the books appearing out of nowhere. I guess ours technically does include time travel but I think it is unique enough to warrant it not being one of those. Plus I don't think I've seen one where Tom Riddle reads it. There may be one, but I haven't seen it.  
I like adding those little thoughts from people throughout the story. I'm trying to switch it up a bit so it's different people involved.**

**I want to take this time to mention that, throughout the story there will be quite a few chapters that aren't them reading the books. I would like to make this kind of more of a story than the other 'Reading the Harry Potter books' stories. I want there to be more character interaction.**

**We already have a _massive_ list of people who will be there for the books, including some that won't be announced until later, but I would like your opinions on a few. I will list them below.**

**-Draco, Astoria and Scorpius Malfoy  
-Narcissa Malfoy  
-Lucius Malfoy (I think Narcissa could work but I'm not sure about old Lucy)****  
-Petunia and Dudley Dursley  
-Vernon Dursley (I put him seperate because I already talked about Petunia and Dudley being friendlier to Harry)  
-Gilderoy Lockhart (Wouldn't that be hilarious?)  
-Dolores Umbridge (I know she was sentenced to Azkaban for life, but I could get her out just for this)**

**Either leave your response in a review or send us a PM.**

**Thanks to all of you for reading and please review!**

**Beletrium**


	6. Universal Shift: Part 5

_**Disclaimer**_** - I do not intend any copyright infringement. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. This story is purely for the enjoyment of fanfiction readers and the author. There is not any money being made from this story, nor will there ever be any made.**

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**2****nd**** May, 2011**

Ron was having a brilliant day. Considering what the day actually stood for, that was quite a feat. He had made his peace with Fred's death years ago but every year on the 2nd of May he would think of almost nothing else.

He knew that Harry had it worse though. Harry had lost many more people because of Voldemort than Ron had. Harry lost his parents, Sirius, Dumbledore and Remus. The worst part was that Ron knew that Harry still blamed himself for the deaths of the others like Tonks, Fred and Colin as well. Harry had truly been through more than Ron could ever imagine.

Ron was always jealous of Harry, at least a little, until this day in 1998. When Ron saw that Harry had sacrificed himself to save everyone in the magical world, he instantly stopped being jealous instantly and hadn't been since. Harry didn't want any fame or fortune, but it was thrust upon him and despite this he still cared enough about everyone in the magical world to die for the cause.

Ron had thought this through many times and he still was rather unsure whether he could have done it himself. Ron had read the books. He knew precisely what occurred with the Resurrection Stone and even he could not stop himself from crying. He put himself in Harry's shoes and imagined seeing his dead parents and siblings surrounding him and he knew that he wouldn't be strong enough to do it.

He looked over to Fred and George who he was talking with and smiled at Fred. It was something that he had wanted for years and now he actually had it again. He couldn't wait to tell his mother.

Suddenly there was a flash of light and Ron whirled around to get a better look. By the time he did so, the light flashed again and heaps of people turned up. Fred and George hurried over to them as Hermione sat down beside Ron.

"You okay?" Hermione asked him, squeezing his hand. Ron glanced towards Fred and smiled.

"Yeah. I just...I can't believe this is actually happening. I mean, we actually have Fred back," Ron said incredulously. Hermione nodded.

"I know what you mean," She said solemnly, "I may not have lost anyone in the war, but I do understand," they didn't have to say much." They just sat in silence for a little while before they noticed Fred and George disappear in a flash of light. It wasn't long before there was a second flash and Fred, George and Luna all reappeared with another set of twins that looked shockingly like Fred and George except for their hair. Ron knew instantly who they were and stood up and walked as calmly as he could to where his brothers and his uncles were standing.

When he got there he heard laughter from the four red-heads. They all took notice of him.

"Ah, dearest uncles –" Fred began.

"This is our youngest brother –"

"Ickle Ronniekins!" Fred and George shouted together, causing a few strange looks, particularly from Moody.

"Oh! So it is, Fabian!" Gideon exclaimed.

"It is, I think, Gideon!" Fabian exclaimed as well.

"Ah, how much he grew!" Gideon said, ruffling Ron's hair. Ron didn't even let himself get embarrassed.

"He was only five months old when we left!" Fabian said, doing the same as Gideon.

"In fact, I believe you changed his diaper not a day before we left, did you not, brother mine?" Gideon asked.

"That I did, dear brother. Disgusting work, really. Alas, it had to be done!" Fabian said, before both sets of twins burst out laughing at Ron's red face.

Teddy Lupin was having the best day of his young life. Never in a million years did he think that he would ever get his parents back and now, thanks to Harry and Luna, he had them again. It was the best feeling to hug his parents and have them tell him that they love him. Sure, he loved his Grandma and Harry and Ginny and everyone else in that extended family, but there was really nothing like having his parents. They actually were better than he had ever imagined.

Growing up without his parents was hard on Teddy, mainly because he knew that they died for him. It was something that had haunted him for years. He had always felt that he was slightly to blame for their deaths. He never told his Grandma of course. She would worry too much. He knew to go to Harry with this problem. Whenever he did, Harry would just hug him and tell him that it wasn't his fault. Every so often, Teddy would listen to stories that Harry would tell him about how he had felt after Cedric Diggory's death or, more often, his godfather Sirius' death. These talks helped Teddy immensely. He loved Harry very much. Harry always seemed to be able to relate to him about whatever was going on in his life. It was nice to have someone like that

Teddy looked at his mum, who had spiky, bright green hair for the occasion. Teddy was always very happy that he inherited the Metamorphmagus ability from his mum. It was a wonderful gift and he loved to fool around with it. At that moment, he had hair that was much like Harry's but was sky blue. Teddy looked to both his mum and dad.

"I think I want to go and see Harry for a minute," Teddy said quietly. His dad smiled and ruffled his hair while his mum hugged him for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

"Go ahead, son," his dad said, "In fact, tell him to come here and talk to us for a bit, will you?"

Teddy nodded and set off in search of Harry. It didn't take him long to find Harry talking to Sirius. They were laughing about something as Teddy approached.

"Harry?" Teddy asked timidly. Harry and Sirius both turned to him.

"Hey, Teddy. How do you feel?" Harry asked. Teddy couldn't hold it in any longer and he ran to Harry and hugged him. Harry groaned a little but hugged him back. Teddy didn't even have to say anything, "You're welcome Teddy," Teddy pulled away and sniffled. Harry grabbed his shoulders, "I love you, Teddy. Don't ever forget that. You are welcome here at any time."

"I love you too, Harry," Teddy said softly, "Thank you so much."

Harry hugged him again. When Teddy let go he looked at Harry. "Mum and dad want to talk to you for a bit," Teddy really liked saying 'mum and dad'. Every time he did he felt his chest swell up. It made him so happy he could burst.

Harry nodded and turned to Sirius. "I hope you don't do anything stupid while I'm gone," Harry said with a mock glare. Sirius chuckled.

"Would I do such a thing?" He asked before transforming into a large, black, dog. Teddy gasped a bit at this. He had never seen anyone do an Animagus transformation before. He knew that Professor McGonagall was an Animagus, but she no longer taught Transfiguration so she rarely did the transformation. Padfoot bounded off to play with the younger kids while Teddy and Harry walked to where Teddy's parents sat. Teddy's mum hugged him again before he received a hug from his dad as well.

"You wanted to see me Remus?" Harry asked.

"I just wanted to say thank you for doing this for us. We may not know everything surrounding our demise, but it means a lot to us that you would think of us," Remus said while Tonks nodded her ascent vigourously.

"How could I not save you guys?" Harry asked, looking slightly hurt, "There was absolutely no way I would ever not get you two. I would have got you two back even without Teddy being here. Remus, you were one of my dad's best friends and Tonks, you are a fantastic person. How could I not get you?"

Remus had a tear in his eye while Tonks was crying outright. Harry was a little shocked. He couldn't ever remember seeing the Auror cry before. She got up and hugged him and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you, Harry. It means a lot," Tonks said quietly.

"There's one last thing I want to ask all of you," Harry said, while he received three sets of eyes on him, "We've decided to get your father, Tonks."

This time, Tonks hugged him almost viciously and cried harder. "What am I doing? Crying. What would Moody say?" Harry and Remus laughed while Teddy looked on, not really understanding. Harry smiled at him.

"You see that man with the staff and the weird eye?" Teddy nodded, "That's Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, one of the toughest men I've ever known," Tonks nodded a lot in an almost humorous way.

"He looks scary," Teddy said quietly.

"He's really not," Tonks said before getting an evil grin, "So long as you earn his respect, which is hard to do."

"Anyway, I was thinking that you three would like to go with Luna and get Ted," Harry said, "She knows where and when to go, so let's go and find her."

They didn't take long to find her and the instant they did, Teddy ran up and embraced her. Harry noticed that he whispered something to her, before she kissed him on the forehead. Tonks and Remus both beamed while Remus turned to Harry.

"He loves all of you doesn't he?" He asked wistfully. Harry nodded.

"He really does. Molly and Arthur treat him like a grandson and he loves all of the Weasleys and Hermione. Andromeda raised him well," Harry said fondly.

"Don't sell yourself short, Harry. From what you said, you had as much a hand in raising him as Andromeda is. Thank you," Remus said sincerely, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"No worries, Remus. You'd do the same to me."

"You're right. I would do the same for you," Remus said, nodding. At that moment, Luna and Teddy walked up to them.

"Come on, dad. We should get moving if we want to get grandad," Teddy said excitedly. Harry couldn't help but smile. Neither could Remus or Tonks.

"Of course, son. Let's go," Remus said. Tonks seemed to be speechless at the thought that Harry would think about her father, but in reality he was another of the early ones. The only reason that Ted Tonks was killed was because he was a muggleborn. To Harry, that was not a good reason. Not that there is any 'good' reason to kill anyone, but it was a really dumb reason. He was still magical, so why is it that he was treated like dirt?

Harry sighed quietly as he watched Luna hold out the staff which was immediately grabbed by Remus, Tonks and Teddy. There was a flash of light and they were gone.

**26 July, 1997**

Remus Lupin felt the sensation again and soon felt his feet hit soft grass. When he looked around where he landed, the first thing that he noticed was the blue sky. Somehow, the days he came from never held blue sky, yet there it was. In a way it was very calming. He looked around and noticed the familiar cottage-like house where Andromeda and Ted Tonks lived.

It had a very quaint feel to it, but Remus could see the appeal. Andromeda and Ted were not ones to want to live in the city, so it made sense to live somewhere 'on the land', as it were. Remus remembered the first time that he entered that house. He was extremely nervous about meeting Dora's parents for the first time.

Throughout his whole life, Remus had always felt held back in the dating department because of his being a werewolf. He only ever had one girlfriend in his time at Hogwarts, and that didn't last very long. Remus knew that he had a stupid noble streak in him that really wasn't necessary but he didn't feel worthy of any woman really.

Then came Nymphadora Tonks. She became infatuated with him, but he steadfastly refused her advances because of his noble streak. He always seemed to use the age difference between them as a reason not to date her. He knew it was a load of crap, yet he still went with it. No. He wouldn't harm her. Of course, Dora took this as a challenge and wouldn't let him go until he relented, which he did eventually do.

But when he went to meet Andromeda and Ted for the first time, he was extremely nervous and his old insecurities about his being a werewolf came back in full force. This often happened to Remus whenever something stressful happened to him. Dora just kept reassuring him and telling him that they would be fine. She told him that her parents knew that he was a werewolf and just wanted her to be happy. They were that. Andromeda and Ted were extremely nice to him and that shocked him a little.

Teddy quickly stopped his train of thought by grabbing his arm. Remus looked down at his son and smiled. Sure, he was upset that he missed so much of Teddy's life, but there was nothing that could be done about it. Between death and missing part of his son's life he would take the latter.

Remus saw Luna shorten the staff and place it behind her ear, which Remus had to chuckle about. She definitely didn't change from her second year, when Remus taught her. Remus always liked the girl, though she always had a tough time. Remus heard Dora sigh.

"Let's go then. He's probably in his shed," she said, her voice full of emotions. Teddy let go of Remus' arm and went and hugged Dora. Remus couldn't help but notice how good the two looked.

"Okay then, Dora. Let's head off then," Remus led Luna towards an old tin shed where Ted Tonks was known to spend a lot of his time. When they reached it, Remus moved over to where Dora was standing with Teddy and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled appreciatively at him before reaching out and opening the small door to the shed.

Remus heard a short commotion in the shed and soon found Ted close to them with his wand drawn. He looked at Dora and asked, "What was the colour of your hair when you were born?"

"Black, but it quickly turned pink when you picked me up," Dora said, smiling at the sight of her father.

"What're you doing here Dora?" Ted asked curiously, lowering his wand, but not putting it away, "And who's with you?"

"We are here to save you, dad," Dora said. Remus didn't think it was a good idea to get straight into the whole 'universe jumping' thing so quickly, but Dora knew her father best, so she would be the best to judge how he would react. To Remus' surprise, Ted just raised his eyebrows.

"What? You mean like protection?" He asked.

"Not esactly," Dora replied, "You see, we are from the future and we know what is going to happen."

Ted scoffed. "The future you say?"

"Yes, the future," Remus replied to him, "But that isn't all. We are also from another universe."

"Another universe?" Ted seemed to be getting convinced rather quickly.

"Yes, dad," Dora replied, "We jumped across the universes to come and get you. Luna explains it better," Dora motioned to the blonde woman who quickly enlarged the staff.

"Have you ever heard of Yargly, Mr. Tonks?" Luna asked serenely.

"Nope. Can't say that I have," Ted replied, frowning.

"Not many have, really. He lived years ago and was on the road to being the next Merlin. He discovered a great many things, one of which was the secret to universe travel. Unfortunately, he disappeared when he was quite young," Luna said all of this while twirling the staff, "But earlier today, in our universe, he appeared to me and gave me this staff. In it is infused his magic. This is what allows us to jump the universes."

Ted looked confused. "If that's all true, then why come and get me?"

"Because you died in our universe, dad," Dora said quietly, "Not long after now actually. Couple of months at the most," Ted blanched.

"I die?" He asked incredulously, "How?"

"We can't tell you," Luna replied, "If you come with us to 2011, we plan on reading a series of books written about Harry Potter's life. All of your questions will be answered then."

Ted nodded reluctantly and turned to Teddy. "And this is?" He asked curiously.

"Your grandson, Teddy Remus Lupin," Dora replied with a grin as Teddy stepped forward, with his hand outstretched. Ted ignored the hand and pulled his grandson into a hug with tears in his eyes. Neither said anything that Remus could hear until they pulled apart.

"I will go, as long as Andromeda is in this future," Ted said.

"She is," Teddy replied, "She raised me along with Harry and Ginny," Ted looked at Remus and Dora.

"You two as well?" Remus nodded with Dora, "Oh, God."

There was silence for a few seconds before Luna spoke up. "So, you'll come with us Mr. Tonks?" Ted nodded quickly so Luna held out the staff, "Grab a hold and be warned that it is like a portkey."

Ted nodded again and grabbed hold, followed soon by Remus, Dora and Teddy. There was a brief flash of light and they disappeared.

**2****nd**** May, 2011**

Harry watched as Remus, Tonks and Teddy disappeared before quickly reappearing again, this time with Ted Tonks as well. Harry felt happier knowing that Ted was back. Harry knew that Andromeda had changed since her husband and daughter's death and, if it weren't for Teddy, she might have done something she would have regretted. She was going to be one of the first that Harry would contact about this whole thing.

Harry quickly shook hands with Ted before taking Luna aside, hoping to get the next retrieval done quickly.

"Can we go and get Dobby know, Luna?" Harry asked quickly.

"Of course, Harry. I liked Dobby," She said dreamily. Harry sighed.

"So did I, Luna. So did I," Harry said sadly, remembering Dobby's grave near Shell Cottage. Luna quickly held out the staff and Harry grabbed hold and, with a flash of light they were gone.

**15****th**** February, 1998**

Harry and Luna arrived in the Hogwarts kitchen in a flash of light, and were shocked to find it empty. "Where are all the elves?" Harry wondered out loud.

"I don't know Harry," Luna said in her usual dreamy voice, "It's good they aren't here. That way no one knows we're here."

"That's true. Right, now if we can just get Dobby..." Harry started, as a small, light brown house-elf appeared in front of him with a slight pop.

"Dobby is being here, Harry Potter, sir. What can Dobby be doing for the great Harry Potter?" Dobby asked with a small bow, before looking up at Harry's face in surprise, "Harry Potter is looking older than usual, sir. Is Harry Potter feeling alright?"

"I'm fine, Dobby, just fine," Harry said, and hugged the small house elf, much to Dobby's delight.

"Harry Potter is hugging Dobby! Why?" With those words, Harry felt memories pop into his head of the overexcitable elf and he felt both sad and happy at the same time.

"Not now, Dobby," Harry said happily, "Would you like to come with me and Luna, Dobby?"

"Anything for Harry Potter," Dobby said with enthusiasm, "But where would wes be going, sir?"

"A different universe," Harry replied quickly.

"Ah, sir. Yous has found Yargly's staff!" Dobby exclaimed, jumping up and down.

"You know about it?" Harry asked incredulously. Dobby nodded so hard that his ears flopped with his head.

"We House Elves is hearing of such a thing, Harry Potter sir. But we is not knowing where it is," Dobby said excitedly.

"So you'll come with us?" Dobby nodded quickly, "Good. Just grab Luna's staff and we'll be off."

"Are you ready, sir?" Luna asked Dobby.

"Sir? I like her very much," the house-elf exclaimed, and nodded, as Luna held the staff Dobby and Harry grabbed it, and they disappeared back to the original universe.

**2****nd**** May, 2011**

Luna, Harry, and Dobby arrived back in Harry and Ginny's house in Godric's Hollow, and Dobby was instantly swarmed in a hug by Hermione. As everyone laughed at this, Dobby was shocked. "Dobby knew that Miss Grangy liked house-elves, but Dobby was not expecting this!" he exclaimed, causing more laughter from the people in the room.

"Listen Dobby, you must not ask questions about anything about the people in the room until we start reading. You will probably see that some of these people were dead in your universe. Well, we got them back. That's as much information as I can tell you right now," Harry said above the softening chuckles, as Hermione let go of him, her face red from embarrassment.

"Dobby will not ask any questions, Harry Potter, sir," Dobby promised, his hand raised.

"Thank you, Dobby," he said, smiling at his little friend, "Kreacher and Winky are around somewhere, so maybe you should go and look for them."

"Dobby will, Harry Potter," Dobby replied quickly and popped away. Harry smiled.

Harry wandered around the room and made short small talk with some of the people he had not had much of a chance to since they were brought back, but for some reason he knew that he was stalling. The next retrieval was someone who had died in a war because of Harry. There was truly no denying this. Colin Creevey was not involved in the war against Voldemort for any reason other than because Harry was.

Ever since Colin's first year, he had admired Harry and through until the end he remained in that state. He was in the DA, going against not only the school but the Ministry as well. Why? Because of Harry. He was at Hogwarts during the battle. Why? Because of Harry. He died in battle even though he was underage. Why? Because of Harry. Colin's death was the one which weighed on Harry's conscience the most.

Sure, Colin had chosen to fight and disregard what he was told to do, but would he have done so if he had not been in the DA? If he did not admire Harry? No, he wouldn't have. Every other death, Harry could deal with. Not this one.

In the days following Colin's death, Ginny had told Harry about Colin. He did not have very many friends at Hogwarts. He was friendly towards people, but generally they shunned him because of his nature. It was during one of these conversations that Harry had an epiphany about Colin. Harry had always thought that Colin was obsessed with 'The Boy Who Lived', but there were problems with those thoughts. Primarily, Colin was muggleborn and wouldn't have been as starstruck as the magical populous.

Colin was entering a foreign world with no help whatsoever. It was frightening for Harry and he wanted to be there. Hermione had told him how terrified she was, going into the magical world on her own and that she had her fears about what would happen to her when she got there. Colin would have been the same. So, what does a person do when in a situation like this? They read up, or at least they should. Colin would have because he knew who Harry was.

So, Colin was going into a foreign world alone and knew one person around his age. Harry Potter. What would he try to do? Make friends with him. That was what Colin was trying to do all along. He wasn't starstruck. He was friendless. When Harry looked back on it, it made sense. Colin wasn't like his other 'admirers'. Colin didn't keep his distance and he seemed to care about Harry. Not the 'Boy Who Lived', but Harry. Colin didn't turn on him when everyone else did. Colin always supported him. Harry's admirers were extremely fickle. Just look at Second, Fourth and Fifth years. But Colin stuck with him.

When harry looked back and asked himself 'would I do it differently if I had the chance' in relation to Colin, it was always 'yes'. What made him so confident in that answer wasn't just Colin, but Dennis.

Poor Dennis Creevey. When Colin died, Dennis plunged into a deep depression. He severed almost all ties with the wizarding world and went into seclusion. His only link to magic was through Harry and Ginny. After Colin's death, Harry and Ginny tried to help Dennis through it, and he let them try, but it seemed not to work. They were still in contact at this point, but he was just as bad as he was in 1998.

Dennis could barely hold down a job, had not seen or talked to his parents in years and seemed to drown himself in alcohol. Harry and Ginny didn't have much experience with helping people like Dennis, but they tried. They tried to visit him at least once a week to make sure he was okay. He never really was, but he always said he was.

There were so many things with Colin's retrieval that made Harry nervous. Could he face Colin, knowing what he knew? How would Dennis react when he found out? What would Colin's reaction to his brother be? These questions were what was making Harry stall.

He felt someone grab his arm, so he turned to face Ginny. She looked at him a little strangely for a moment before she started to talk.

"I know, what you're thinking, Harry," She said quietly, "But we just need to get it over with. We'll go and get Colin and deal with things from there. Okay?"

Harry didn't trust himself to speak so he just nodded. Ginny then gave him a hug before leading him to where Luna stood observing a picture that her father was showing her. She looked up when Harry and Ginny arrived.

"Colin?" She asked simply. Harry and Ginny nodded before Harry finally spoke up.

"I think we need to look like what we did on this day in 1998. Can you do that for us Luna?" Luna nodded, and quickly pointed the staff at both of them. There was a flash of light and Harry looked at Gunny to see the face of the sixteen year old that he fell in love with. He smiled a bit at the thought before turning back to Luna, who was holding out the staff. Harry and Ginny grabbed hold and they found themselves being pulled away in a flash of light.

**1****st**** May, 1998**

Harry, Luna and Ginny appeared in a secluded area, somewhere in France. Harry had been told by Ginny not long after the Final Battle, that Colin had owled her just before he, Dennis and their parents had gone into hiding, telling her where they were going. Harry thought at the time that it was a very risky move for him to have done that, but now he couldn't have been happier that he had.

Harry saw Luna shorten the staff and place it behind her ear while Ginny reached out put her hand in his, giving it a slight squeeze. Harry leaned over and gave her a short kiss before turning to the house. Harry then thought of something.

"Uh...Ginny. How are we planning on getting Colin on his own, if he is in there with the rest of the family? We want to just talk to him," Harry was starting to sound panicked, so Ginny squeezed his hand, raised her wand.

"_Expecto Patronum_," She said as a bright, silver horse burst from her wand, "Tell Colin Creevey this: Leave the house on your own. Harry, Luna and I need to talk to you. Alone, Colin," Ginny said the last bit in a tone reminiscent of Molly Weasley. The horse almost seemed to nod as it walked to the house and through the wall. Harry knew this would work. Patronuses couldn't be faked, and it was Ginny's voice. Colin would know that it was them.

Sure enough, within a minute, the door to the house opened to reveal Colin Creevey. He was very small for his age and had light brown hair. He seemed to almost squeal in delight at seeing Harry, Ginny and Luna. He ran over and immediately hugged Ginny and Luna and shook Harry's hand, all the while seeming to talk non-stop.

"It's so good to see all of you," He said quickly, "I hate being in hiding. Dennis is starting to get on my nerves," He laughed a little at that, "Why are you here anyway? I thought you would either be at Hogwarts or on the run, in your case Harry."

Harry nodded sombrely. "We were. But we need to talk to you about something," Harry took a deep breath, looking Colin in the eyes, "We're from the future."

"Cool!" Colin exclaimed. Harry was not really expecting that reaction. He hadn't gotten a reaction like that before then. Colin then frowned slightly, "But why?"

"I think we should start from the beginning," Ginny said. Colin nodded eagerly before Ginny continued, "We are from the year 2011. Almost the exact same date as right now, except the 2nd. It is, in our time, the thirteen year anniversary of Voldemort's downfall."

"That means the war ends tomorrow. That's good isn't it?" Colin asked, looking slightly confused.

"Under normal circumstances, yes. But not in this case, Colin. There were too many deaths. You included," Colin paled, just the same as everyone else who had been retrieved up until that point had.

"I get killed? Tomorrow?" He squeeked. Harry impulsively reached out and squeezed Colin's shoulder.

"Not if we can help it," He said fiercly. Colin looked at him.

"What do you mean by that?"

"We want to take you back to our time," Luna replied, having been quiet for the conversation.

"So, if I stay, I die. But if I go with you, I leave my family behind and I live?" Colin asked, looking very torn.

"I know for a fact that Dennis is alive in our time," Harry said quickly. He wasn't sure how much to mention to Colin about Dennis but he decided at the last second to just tell him, "But he isn't in good shape."

"What do you mean?" Colin asked.

"When you died, Dennis went into a deep depression. He has never gotten over it. He hasn't spoken to your parents in years and has cut himself off from the wizarding world almost entirely, with the exception of Ginny and myself. We check up on him almost every week."

Colin put his head in his hands and remained that way for half a minute before looking up. "I'll do it. I'll go with you," He said with conviction. Harry smiled at him.

"And Colin, I want to apologise," Harry said. Ginny squeezed his hand.

"For what?" Colin asked with a perplexed look on his face.

"For the way I treated you," Harry replied. Colin looked ready to interrupt, but Harry cut him off, "When you died, I thought a lot about you, and I realised that you weren't a fan of 'The Boy Who Lived' like I had thought for years. You just wanted to be friends with me didn't you?"

Colin's cheeks tinged red and he nodded. "In that case, Colin," Harry began, clapping his hand on Colin's shoulder, "Consider yourself my friend."

"Thanks, Harry," Colin replied before looking from Ginny to Harry, "You are from 2011, but you don't look that old," Harry almost himself.

"Luna, do the honours would you?" Luna enlarged the staff and Colin gasped at the sight. She then proceeded to age Harry and Ginny back to what they were in 2011. Colin was staring unblinkingly at them.

"What kind of staff is that?" He asked incredulously.

"This," Luna began, "Is Yargly's staff," at Colin's look, she elaborated, "He lived hundreds of years ago and was extremely powerful. He found a way to jump the universes and travel through time. But, suddenly, he disappeared without a trace. And then today, in our universe, he came to me. He told me that he had infused all of his powers into this staff. That's how we came here."

Colin stared at the staff. "Wait. Universes?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes. We jump across universes and go back in time to get people lost in the wars. You are the second last, but we have already retrieved heaps of people."

Colin nodded, still looking awestruck. "What do I do?"

"Do you have your wand?" Colin nodded, "Well then, if you're ready, all you have to do is grab the staff and we can leave. It feels like a portkey. Have you used a portkey before?"

Colin nodded. "Yeah. To get here. Your Order of the Phoenix hid us here and provided us with an emergency portkey to get to England if we needed to," _That explains how they got from France to England so quickly_, Harry thought. Harry nodded and grabbed hold of the staff, followed by Ginny and then finally Colin. There was the familiar pull at the navel and they disappeared.

* * *

**_Authors Note_**

**Sorry for the short chapter and the long wait. The problems are many. Life, for one. The other is that it's harder to write someone like Ted Tonks than it is to write someone like Sirius Black. The reason that the chapter is so short is because Ted Tonks isn't really a big character and Dobby was never going to be a problem. **

**So that left Colin. I had this idea planned for Colin and Dennis for a while and I like the way it came out. Let me know what you think.**

**The next chapter will be a bridging chapter where I will bring in the other survivors in some capacity. It is basically to inform people what's going on, particularly because of Tom Riddle.**

**I want to thank everyone who replied to the question at the end of the authors note last chapter. I just want to let you all know that I will be including some of them. The problem is that I need people for the characters reading to be mad at there in the room. As of right now, I have Severus Snape and, to a lesser extent, Albus Dumbledore. I honestly don't think that is enough to have some form of conflict. So, looking at it that way, the Dursleys would be good, as would the Malfoys. I think I'll leave Umbridge and Lockhart out, except maybe for a cameo later on. They won't be reading at least. At the moment, I am leaning towards having Draco, Astoria, Scorpius, Dudley and Petunia at the very least. Narcissa and Lucius I am still considering.**

**Another problem I think there will be is the sheer number of people involved. I have a running list of people I am definitely going to have reading it at all times. The number is currently at 62 not counting those listed above. That's including kids, though. I think that a lot of the younger kids won't have much of a part. So without the kids that won't have too big a part, there will be about 51.**

**I will have some people there occasionally, like the Hogwarts Staff, but they won't be there the whole time.**

**Anyway, to the reviews! Thanks to Shinigami, ANGIE, Fangren, EnglandBabe1997, naddasyafira, Reynardetta, Shadow Priesstes, Lily1992, Taeniaea and SokkasFirstFangirl for reviewing. If you ask a question in your review, I will answer it here.**

_**Shinigami**_** - They will be _very_ careful with how they explain the books to Tom. I chose the age seven specifically because I don't think he would have had a large grasp on his magic by then, but it's early enough for him to understand the it helps that Rowling is obsessed with the number seven. He will not know about magic at all. In HBP, Dumbledore was the one to tell him, even though he knew he was different. As for Aberforth, I will be bringing him in in the next chapter. I am still debating whether or not to de-age him and Albus.**

**That's it for now. I will _try_ to get the next chapter up in a timely fashion but I won't promise anything other than it will be no longer than two weeks. Hopefully.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Koldrian (Beletrium and Kuhal)**


	7. Universal Shift: Part 6

_**Disclaimer**_** - I do not intend any copyright infringement. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. This story is purely for the enjoyment of fanfiction readers and the author. There is not any money being made from this story, nor will there ever be any made.**

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**May 2nd, 2011**

Colin Creevey felt his feet solidly hit the carpet and instantly looked around the room. While there were plenty of people that he recognised, there were also plenty that he didn't. He obviously recognised people who he had gone to school with as well as Professors like Dumbledore and Snape. The sight of Snape had taken Colin aback slightly. If there was one person who he had not expected to see in the room it would have been Snape. Other than Voldemort of course.

Seeing Dumbledore again felt really good. The old Headmaster's death had hit Colin harder than most. Not many people knew that after his petrification in his first year, Dumbledore had taken to looking out for Colin and becoming something of a confidante in many ways. Of course, as he was with Harry, Colin was very awestruck at first, though he got over it eventually and found that the old Headmaster was almost like a grandparent to him.

Colin looked to Harry, who looked older than he had last seen him. There were many things that had happened to Colin that day that shocked him. Obviously, seeing Harry, Ginny and Luna turn up in France, of all places, simply to talk to him, was shocking enough, but then they told him their story. If he had not known that the three of them were possibly the most trustworthy people he knew, he would not have believed them. And on top of that, Harry apologised to him. At first, Colin didn't really understand why, but Harry was spot on.

When Colin was told he was a wizard, along with Dennis of course, he was absolutely ecstatic and did everything he could to learn about the magical world. But as time passed, he realised something. By going to Hogwarts, he would be completely alone. Dennis wouldn't start until Colin's third year and his parents were certainly not magical. Despite the anxiety and nervousness, Colin pressed on to learn all he could about the world he was going to enter.

He read a lot of History books; this was why he was so good at History of Magic later on in his schooling. In the course of doing so, Colin ran across a book entitled '_Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_'. He felt that reading about more current events would help him relate more than learning about things like Goblin rebellions. Near the end of the book, he read about an event that took place on the 31st of October, 1981. A one year-old boy named Harry Potter defeated one of the most powerful dark wizards of all time.

While this information was intriguing in itself, there was one part of that particular chapter that continued to jump out at him. Harry Potter was very near his own age, only a couple of months older. This information seemed to calm Colin's nerves quite a bit. He decided that he would try and befriend Harry Potter when he got to Hogwarts, assuming that he was there. He didn't decide this because of what Harry had done, but did so because Harry Potter was the only wizard his age he had even heard of.

Being the age he was, he figured that the best way to do this was to compliment Harry whenever he could, along with bringing up what Harry had done. Realistically, Colin didn't care about it at all, but he was as good an actor as anyone. Better perhaps. The best part was, that he didn't have to act for a lot of it. He really was a hyperactive child. So Colin spent his entire first year trying to make Harry his friend, at least when he wasn't petrified that is.

That had failed abysmally and Colin let it drop after that year. He still tried occasionally, but he didn't have the heart for it after being seemingly ignored. He spent his second year almost alone. Sure, Ginny Weasley was nice enough to him, as were a lot of his classmates, but he never really made a connection with any of them. He actually found himself anxiously awaiting Dennis' arrival at Hogwarts.

After all of that, Harry Potter calls him a friend, which was not something to be taken lightly. The only people, as far as Colin could tell, that were Harry's friends were The Weasleys, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. Colin had heard Harry call all of them his friends before, but never anyone else, really. But now Colin seemed to be included. In a childish sort of way, Colin was pretty excited.

"Harry?" Colin began uncertainly.

"Yeah, Colin?" Harry replied.

"Thanks," At Harry's quizzical look, Colin continued, "Thanks for saving me. Thanks for helping Dennis. Thanks for being my friend."

Harry waved his hand dismissively, but had a smile on his face. "Nothing to it, Colin. But you do have to do one thing though."

"What's that?"

"You have to come and introduce yourself to my kids. I assume they'll want to meet their Uncle Colin," Harry said smiling. Colin was lost for words. All he could do was nod his head excitedly and wonder how the hell his day got so much better. Harry chuckled and turned to Ginny, "Gin, can you go and make sure that the mangy old mutt hasn't eaten our kids and bring them over here?"

Ginny smiled and gave Harry a kiss on the cheek. "Of course, love. Want me to kick him?" She asked mischievously. Harry frowned, as if he was deep in thought.

"Why not? In fact, I'm surprised I didn't think of that earlier," The two burst out laughing before Ginny left. Colin was looking at Harry questioningly.

"Why would a dog be eating your kids? And why is it so funny that it be kicked?" Colin asked quickly. Harry just laughed again.

"I take it you remember Sirius Black?" Harry asked. Colin nodded vigorously.

"The murderer who escaped Azkaban in my second year. What does he have to do with this?" Colin replied. Harry seemed to look into the distance.

"Everything," He looked at Colin and decided to elaborate, "Sirius Black is my godfather, Colin. And he did not kill all of those people. He's also a dog animagus and as we left to get you, he transformed to go and play with the kids. That's really all I can tell you at this stage, Colin."

"Why's that?" Colin asked, confused.

"Oh, damn!" Harry exclaimed, "We didn't tell you about the books!"

"Books?"

"Yeah. There is someone who we suspect is both a squib and a seer who saw my entire school life and wrote books about it. We will be reading the books as a group when we finish all our retrievals," Harry explained and Colin nodded, "That's why I won't tell you any more. You will know more about a lot of what goes on then a lot of people here, so I want it to at least be a bit enlightening for you. Also, don't tell anyone what you already know. There are a lot of people here who don't know nearly as much as you do."

Colin smiled. "Sounds good, Harry," Colin then saw Ginny approaching with a young girl in her arms, two young boys following her with a dog behind her with its tail between its legs. Harry and Colin both burst out laughing at the dog, which actually managed to look abashed, "You kicked him then Ginny?" Colin said with a broad smile. The dog growled slightly.

"That I did! It was fun too!" Ginny said as the dog transformed into a tall man who looked quite bad really. He looked very much like a homeless guy that Colin saw from time to time near where he lived. He was scowling.

"It hurt as well, Mrs Potter. I believe the last person to kick me while I was in dog form was another Mrs Potter," He looked at Harry smiling, "She called me a fleabag before she did, just like Ginny here did. You picked the right one, Harry," Harry actually blushed, Colin noticed. He then saw Sirius Black turn to him, "And who is this, then?"

Colin held out a hand. "Colin Creevey, Mr. Black. Nice to meet you sir," Sirius actually flinched, not unlike how a lot of wizards flinched at Voldemort's name.

"Sirius, please. For the love of Merlin, call me Sirius. Do you know how old 'Mr. Black' makes me sound?" He was smiling so Colin took no offence.

"Alright then, Sirius. Nice to meet you," Colin shook the man's hand firmly before turning to Ginny, "And these three are?"

From there, Colin was introduced to Lily, Albus and James. Colin felt a warmth in his heart when Albus was the first to call him Uncle Colin. Colin really enjoyed being a part of this family, and truly hoped that it would last.

As Harry watched Colin play with his kids, he thought about what was coming next. The group had decided early on that they would need to gather everyone who would be involved in the reading before going to get Tom Riddle. This was mainly a safety precaution, so that everyone would know what was going on and so that they could get used to the idea of a young Tom Riddle. Of course, the gathering of people from this universe could actually take longer than getting those from the other universes.

As he was mentally going through the list of people who they would be getting from this universe he realised something. They could have forgotten some people to retrieve along the line, though he couldn't really think of any others that he could have forgotten. _Maybe some others will know_, Harry mused silently. He looked around the very packed room and saw that it was split into a lot of different groups. He was happy to see that they were all rather mixed groups of people.

Harry stood up quickly and silently cast a sonorous charm on himself, making sure that it was not overly loud. "Can I have your attention, please?" His amplified voice said. The voices in the room subsided and there was almost complete silence with the exception of a few noises from the kids, "Thank you.

"As you all by now know, we have retrieved quite a lot of people from different universes. This is, of course, what today's events were all about," There was applause from all around the room before Harry continued, "There is still one more retrieval scheduled for today, but I would like to have everyone who will be reading the books about myself before we go and retrieve this person.

"But before we round everyone up, I would like to extend an invitation to all of you to come and see me as soon as I am finished talking, if you think we have missed anyone. Remember, though, that we are only getting people who have been killed as a result of the wars against Voldemort," There was a slight shudder in the crowd, but overall it was rather small, "So, please, feel free to come forward with your suggestions. I will wait ten minutes before putting any other plans into motion. Thank you."

There was an outbreak of muttering within the room so Harry sat down in the chair he was occupying before he stood. Hermione was actually the first person to come to him.

"Oh, Harry!" She exclaimed, "While you were talking something came to me! Myrtle!"

Harry could have kicked himself. "Of course! Why didn't we think of her before?"

"Uh...Harry? Are you talking about the ghost?" Colin asked quietly. Apparently he had come over while Hermione was talking, "Hi, by the way Hermione!"

Hermione looked at him quickly before embracing him, which made Colin blush. "Colin! It's so good to see you!"

Harry looked at Colin. "Yes, Colin. I was talking about the ghost. Myrtle Tomlins was the first of Voldemort's killings," Colin paled, but didn't flinch at Voldemort's name.

"Makes sense to get her then, doesn't it?" Colin replied evenly, "In a way, she was the first victim of the war."

Harry and Hermione both nodded before turning to see Harry's parents and a very reluctant looking Severus Snape approaching. Colin seemed to cringe slightly at the sight of Snape so Harry looked at him. "We got him from just before my first year, so he doesn't know you. He's different, Colin. Try to remember that," Colin nodded so Harry turned to his parents and Severus, "Hey mum, dad, Severus. What brings you here?"

"Well, honey," his mother started, "You said we could suggest a few people to be retrieved and we want to."

"Go ahead," Harry replied.

"How much do you know about the Potter family, son?" His father asked. Harry frowned.

"Not all that much, really. Sirius didn't really have much of a chance to tell me, and I don't know how much Remus knew," Harry looked thoughtful, "But then again, I really only ever asked about you two. Why do you ask?"

His father sighed. "My parents, Charlus Potter and Dorea Potter, formerly Black, were killed not long before we were. They were attacked while out in Diagon Alley by Death Eaters, and supposedly Voldemort himself. They were both victims of the Killing Curse."

Harry felt a pang of sadness. He couldn't work out why he felt it, though. It was like a mixture of reasons. One, he never learnt about the rest of his own family. And two, that they were killed, probably for the same reason his parents were. "We'll get them," Harry said with a lot of conviction. His father smiled and hugged him.

Harry then turned to his mother who was looking like she was going to begin speaking. "What about my side of the family?" She asked, sounding as if there was more than one question asked. Harry thought for a few seconds about what to say. He didn't really want to give away that he lived with the Dursleys. Though, he could answer truthfully without telling her.

"I don't know all that much, to be honest," Harry ended up saying. Lily's eyes looked as though she knew he was avoiding saying something, but she seemed to let it slide.

"Well, my parents were killed by Death Eaters as well," His mother told him, "Around the same time as James' parents were killed. But unlike James', mine were killed more viciously because they were muggles," Harry's mum looked on the verge of breaking down completely. Harry's father pur his arm around her and drew her into a hug.

Harry saw Severus' face contort in a mixture of empathy, sadness and jealousy. Colin seemed to notice too, because he nudged Harry and pointed slightly towards Severus.

"Don't worry, mum. We'll get them too," Harry then realised something as his mother looked at him gratefully, "What were their names?"

His mother seemed to almost sigh in relief. "Their names were David and Leigh Evans. They were wonderful people. Quite young, actually. They were only forty-two when they died. They had been together for twenty-eight years and married for twenty-three," Harry's mother's emerald green eyes seemed to glisten as she spoke of her parents. There was silence for about twenty seconds before Harry finally spoke up.

"Why are you here, Severus?" He asked, watching his old Potions Master shift on his feet uncomfortably.

"Well, my claim isn't as valid as your parents', but Lily thinks it necessary," He paused to look to Lily, his black eyes softening slightly, "I wish to retrieve my mother."

The announcement surprised Harry to begin with, but he soon realised that it made total sense. Over the years he talked a lot to Severus' portrait and he came to learn quite a bit more about the man.

Apparently Tobias Snape was not a good father at all. He knew that Eileen Snape was a witch but forbade her to do a lot of magic. It was all Eileen could do to get him to allow Severus to go to Hogwarts. Tobias was abusive towards both Severus and Eileen throughout Severus' childhood, not unlike how Harry was treated by his Aunt and Uncle. From what Harry could gather, this was one of the things that started Severus down the path to joining the Death Eaters.

He hated his muggle father, and in turn, muggles in general. This was pretty much a prerequisite for being a Death Eater. Then, in his seventh year, he received word that his mother had been shot dead by his father. Tobias was sent to a muggle prison, though the Ministry of Magic tried very hard to get him sent to Azkaban for killing a witch, something which Severus was very in support of. This, as well as his falling out with Lily and his own interest in the Dark Arts led to him taking the Dark Mark and working for Voldemort.

Harry couldn't say no to this request. One reason was because he felt bad for Eileen and Severus and the way they had been treated. Another was because Severus probably still thought of Harry as spoiled and would need some reason to like Harry. The last reason was Ariana. They had retrieved her even though she had nothing to do with the wars against Voldemort. In a way, Severus deserved his mother just as much as Albus deserved his sister. Harry looked at the man and smiled.

"Of course, Severus," Harry replied. Severus actually sighed as if letting out a deep breath. Then, addressing all three Harry said, "You will all have to tell me and Luna where to go and when, but we can do it. Dad, we'll get Myrtle first and then your parents. I'll just head off and get Luna. While I'm gone, you can meet my good friend, Colin Creevey."

Severus and Harry's parents stared at Harry when he mentioned Myrtle but soon turned to Colin. Well, Harry's parents did. Colin's cheeks tinged red a little as he shook James Potter's hand. Harry chuckled as he walked off, looking for Luna, stopping only to give his daughter a quick kiss. The young redhead giggled and ran over to her Uncle Colin and her grandparents. Harry looked back and laughed when he saw Colin's look of surprise when the young girl clambered onto his lap.

Harry found Luna talking to Cho, Cedric, Neville and Hannah. It was rather interesting to watch because Hannah and Neville were use to her after so many years and Cho was used to her from being in Ravenclaw, but Cedric seemed a little put off by the blonde. Of course, it was Cedric so there was no negative feelings there, just a little put off by Luna's uniqueness.

Harry spoke to them all for a few moments before pulling Luna aside. When he told her who they would be retrieving, Luna looked quite happy.

"I've always liked ghosts a lot and I really felt bad for poor Myrtle. I was always nice to her and she really liked it. She spoke about you a lot, Harry. Did you know?"

Harry shuddered slightly at the memories of the ghost hitting on him. "I was aware, yes," Harry said quickly. The memories of Myrtle actually reinforced his resolve to retrieve the girl. She had never been happy at Hogwarts, even after her death. Harry hoped to change that this time.

Harry didn't really know who to take with him to get Myrtle. The only people Harry knew her to be close to, as a ghost at least, was himself, Cedric Diggory (though Harry wasn't exactly sure whether he knew) and Draco Malfoy. She kind of liked Hermione and Ron. After thinking it over, Harry realised that it didn't really matter all that much because she would not have met any of them anyway, so Harry decided that it would probably be easiest for it to be him, Luna and Hermione, as she was the one to come to him with the idea to get Myrtle.

The date was the next problem. He knew the date of her death, the 13th of June, 1943, but he didn't know what time the Basilisk showed up. It then occurred to him what to do. By this point, he and Luna had reached Hermione who was talking animatedly with Albus, with Ariana at his side, and Amelia.

"Hermione?" The bushy-haired witch stopped talking and looked at Harry, "Do you want to come with us and get Myrtle?" Both Albus and Amelia looked at Harry quickly, Albus with a knowledgeable and proud look on his face and Amelia with one of confusion. Harry noticed both of these looks and elaborated, "Myrtle was Voldemort's first kill. We think it only fair to get Myrtle back. She was so young."

"Of course I will go, Harry! I haven't done nearly enough of these retrievals!" Hermione was practically jumping. Albus and Amelia could only chuckle.

"It is good to finally get some closure on that issue. I always suspected him," Albus said, nodding, "I think this is quite a brilliant idea, myself."

"Oh, I agree," Amelia said, "I remember Myrtle from my school days. Poor girl. She had such a hard life. What do you plan to do about her parents?"

Harry was about to answer, but Albus spoke instead. "I do not think that will be an issue, Amelia. Myrtle did not have a good relationship with her parents. They hated her because of what she was," Albus sighed, "She came to me fairly often to talk about it. They really only kept her because they felt an obligation. I do believe that she will come willingly. But the question remains, Harry, what do you plan to do about her living arrangements?"

Harry felt better knowing what was coming. He didn't quite know what Myrtle would do in relation to her parents. He thought for a minute trying to work out what to do. "I would never leave her at a muggle orphanage," Harry replied thoughtfully, "I suppose I could adopt her into my family, or maybe someone else would be willing to take her in. It's a pity my Orphanage hasn't been put into motion yet."

"Orphanage?" Albus and Amelia asked together.

"I plan on making an all-magical orphanage for magical children with no parents or carers, or at least no competent ones," Dumbledore nodded merrily while Amelia looked astounded, "I know what it's like to grow up unloved because of magic. Voldemort knew it too. It was really only other people who made me turn out the way I am. I imagine I could easily have turned into another Voldemort," Amelia gasped, but Albus simply nodded sadly.

"I guess you all have me and Ron to thank for Harry turning out like this, then!" Hermione said. Amelia seemed speechless.

"Oh, and Albus. I know that you know a lot about Voldemort's childhood, but it is explained in the books, so if you could keep it under your hat?" Harry stated rather than asked.

"Of course, Harry. Although I am intrigued as to how much you know," Albus looked pensive while he spoke.

Harry turned to Luna who was looking through a book that she found on a nearby bookshelf. Before speaking, Harry waved his wand and a piece of parchment flew into his hands. "Come on, Luna. Let's go. I think the 12th of June, 1943 should do nicely. Oh, and make it the Room of Requirement, if you would."

Luna replaced the book neatly. "Of course, Harry. I must say, you and Ginny own some very peculiar books," Harry noticed that the book that Luna looked at was a book that Harry purchased some time ago, entitled 'Ultimate Weapon' by Chris Ryan. Harry had discovered that he actually liked that style of book, though he didn't think that Luna would do well to read it, "I don't really think I would like it that much."

Luna held out the staff which Harry and Hermione both grabbed. The last thing Harry heard was Amelia Bones muttering, "Voldemort grew up in an orphanage?"

**12****th**** June, 1943**

As soon as Harry felt himself land, he looked around, curious as to what the Room of Requirement would conjure up for this occasion. The room seemed to be almost like a sitting room in an old manor. There were a few comfy looking chairs and a crackling fire. Harry realised that the room must have picked up that they needed to convince Myrtle to come with them, so it conjured up a calm-seeming room.

Harry looked at Hermione and Lune who were both admiring the room themselves. Luna had already shortened the staff and was dreamily walking to a comfy chair which she promptly sunk into. Hermione then looked to Harry.

"I trust that you have a plan, Harry?" Hermione asked in her 'teacher' voice. Harry just smiled and pulled out the parchment.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Harry recited and the map came to life. Harry unfolded it. The first thing that Harry noticed was that there were a large amount of names on the map. More than he had ever seen before. Harry attributed this to the First Wizarding War and its effects. He quickly searched the map for Myrtle's name. Over the years, he had become proficient at doing this, so he quickly found her name, "Well would you look at that, she's in her toilet," Harry said sarcastically.

"Wow, Harry. I would never have thought of the map. I haven't seen it in years," Hermione said, obviously marvelling at the amount of names on the map, "Can you see Tom Riddle anywhere?"

Harry scanned the map and couldn't find the name. "No. He's probably in the Chamber right now," Harry said, "Oh well. Let's get going. You two go and get Myrtle from the bathroom. I will accompany you as far as the bathroom. Then we bring her back here for a chat and hopefully leave."

"How do you expect to get around the school unnoticed?" Hermione asked, a little too curtly. Harry reached into a magically-enhanced pocket and pulled out the Invisibility Cloak, "But that won't fit all three of us," Hermione reasoned.

"Actually," Harry replied with a smirk, "After school finished, it occurred to me that I hadn't ever tried to enlarge the cloak. I tried and it worked. I can make it essentially a blanket to cover all three of us easily."

Hermione's eyebrows shot up. "Why didn't I think of that?" Harry and Luna both burst out laughing at this exclamation from the smartest witch of their age. Hermione simply glared at them, "Let's go then."

Harry pointed his wand at the Cloak. "_Engorgio_," He intoned and watched as the Cloak grew in size until it was big enough for all three of them, "We will still need to stick close together because we don't want people to run into the fabric itself."

Hermione and Luna both nodded. Harry then proceeded to throw the Cloak over all three of them and they exited the Room of Requirement with Luna on one side of Harry and Hermione on the other. As they made their way through the similar hallways of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the first thought that crossed Harry's mind was that the halls were a lot more crowded in 1943. In a way, it felt right. Like the castle was built for this many students.

But, it didn't make it easy to get around without being run into. It was quite a feat. They soon found that sticking to a wall was the best idea because most of the students travelled down the middle. Luckily, Harry knew all the shortcuts of the Castle otherwise they would have to have gone down a lot of crowded stairs. That would have been utterly disastrous under the circumstances.

It was quite a long and silent walk from the Seventh Floor Corridor to the Second Floor Bathroom. There was a tense moment along the way where it looked like a group of Ravenclaw girls thought that they heard something and investigated, but Harry, Luna and Hermione quickly made it away. Finally they made it to the bathroom and Hermione spoke up in a whisper.

"We'll go in, now Harry. You keep the cloak and we'll bring Myrtle out as soon as we can."

"Okay," Harry whispered back, "Just do it quickly and try not to be noticed."

"Wait!" Harry couldn't see her but it seemed that Luna had lengthened the staff and made Hermione and herself young again because Hermione spoke.

"Good thinking, Luna. Now she won't be able to tell unless she looks closely."

The two, now teenage, girls removed their parts of the cloak at the same time and Hermione pulled Luna straight into the bathroom. Harry, under the blanket sized cloak, looked around the corridor which only really had a few stragglers. Apparently they had classes to get to and a few people decided that they didn't need to go to any classes. Harry actually scoffed at the sight of them which caused a few people to look around suspiciously. From that moment, Harry was relatively silent.

Hermione and Luna were probably in the bathroom for about three minutes before they emerged with a red-faced, squat girl with thick glasses. She wasn't smiling, though Harry didn't really expect it.

"Harry!" Hermione whispered. Harry reached over and grabbed Hermione's forearm to let her know he was there. She then proceeded to reach out for the cloak and found it, pulling it over herself, Luna and Myrtle, who was giving her strange looks. Harry reached around and grabbed Luna's arm and pulled her close so that they could navigate the hallways easier. Luna had hold of Hermione who had Myrtle.

The trip back to the Room of Requirement was much quicker, due to the lack of students in the hallways. There was silence with the exception of the occasional sniffle from Myrtle who had quite obviously been crying beforehand. Harry wondered what Luna and Hermione had said to the girl to get her to come with them.

When they got to the Room of Requirement, they all threw of the Cloak, Harry reduced the size of it and put it away before pacing up and down the hall in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, thinking 'I need a place to tell Myrtle about our mission' over and over. Soon, the massive door appeared and Harry ushered the three girls into the room. It was exactly the same as it was when they left it.

Harry motioned for the girls to sit before sinking into a chair of his own. Hermione and Luna sat together while Myrtle took one for herself. She had an extremely quizzical look on her face.

"I know that you probably have a lot of questions Myrtle," Harry started. He was about to continue but Myrtle spoke quickly.

"Do you want me to join a harem?" She asked. Harry seemed to choke on air, as did both Luna and Hermione at the same time.

"W-what?" Harry got out, "No! What made you think that?"

Myrtle blushed a deep red. "All the girls tell me that I'll end up in one. They say that the magical world is full of them. I just assumed..." She trailed off. Harry instantly began raging internally.

"Well, Myrtle, that's just not true. The magical world does not have harems that I know of. Not in Britain. They were lying to you Myrtle," Harry said softly but firmly. The girl started crying so Luna made her way over to the girl and put an arm around her.

"They always do that," Myrtle wailed as Luna held her.

"I know. They did it to me too," Luna said quietly. Myrtle looked at her.

"I-I don't recognise you. Or any of you for that matter. Who are you?"

"My name is Luna Lovegood," Luna said quietly.

"Harry Potter."

"Hermione Granger," Hermione said quickly.

"Potter?" Myrtle asked, "Any relation of Charlus?" Harry nodded but didn't say anything, "Okay then. May I ask why I am here? Luna and Hermione told me they could stop the bullying. Could you?" Myrtle sounded so hopeful it was near heartbreaking. Luna let go of her and sat next to Hermione again.

"We can, but you need to know something first," Harry replied, "We're from a different universe and a different time," Myrtle gasped, before glaring at him and standing abruptly.

"I knew it! Another plot by Olive Hornby!" She began to storm out but Luna stopped her.

"Just wait a minute Myrtle," Myrtle did and Luna resized the staff, much to Myrtle's surprise, and re-aged both herself and Hermione. Myrtle took a few steps backwards before flopping in her chair in amazement.

"That staff," Harry began, quietly, "Is the staff of a very powerful wizard, who was known as Yargly," Myrtle looked at him strangely, but Harry continued, "He figured out how to jump across universes and travel through time using normal magic. He then infused all of his magic into that staff. He came to us in 2011," Luna gasped, "And gave us the staff to set certain things right."

"What does this have to do with me?" Myrtle asked quietly.

"Well, we have been retrieving people killed in the last two wars of our age –" Harry was cut off by Myrtle crying.

"You've come here because I died?" She asked, tearily.

"Yes. But you are a special case. You were not killed in either of the two wars, but you were killed by the perpetrator of the wars, Voldemort. You were his first kill," Myrtle sobbed harder.

"W-when?" She finally asked.

"Tomorrow," Myrtle stopped crying, as if in shock, "If we hadn't have come here, you would have been teased by Olive Hornby to the point that you go into the bathroom, where you are killed. We won't let that happen."

"How do you plan to do that?" Myrtle asked. Harry was extremely happy that she didn't ask how she died.

"The staff. We want to take you back to our universe. Our time. You can come with us and escape this world," Harry said, looking the young girl in the eyes the whole time. There was a glimmer of hope in there as he spoke.

"I don't like it here. My parents hate me, nobody at school likes me, I'm teased, bullied and berated. The only person who treats me well is Professor Dumbledore. I want to go with you. But I have to know, who will look after me?" Myrtle seemed to grow worried as she asked the last question.

"We aren't sure yet, but you will have a home. We have a lot of people who would take you in, myself and my wife, Ginny, included. I will make sure you are cared for," Harry spoke with a sense of purpose and it sounded as if it would take Hell itself to stop him. Myrtle shocked the other occupants of the room as she stood up and hugged Harry.

"Thank you," She said through her tears. When she let go, Harry looked at her.

"Now, when we get back, there are a few things you need to know. We will be reading a set of books that will chronicle my school days, as they are an important part of magical history in our time. You most certainly won't know as much as some others, so you don't have to worry about telling anyone anything. That's why I won't tell you how you died. The story is told in my second year," Myrtle nodded quickly, "The other thing you need to know is that, in our universe, you are a ghost, so a lot of the people you meet will know you to an extent. Just thought I'd warn you."

Myrtle paled at the thought of becoming a ghost but nodded silently before glancing at the staff in Luna's hands. "What do we have to do?"

Luna held out the staff, "Just grab hold. It feels weird to use it, so don't be overly surprised, and keep a hold of it," Myrtle nodded as Harry and the unusually quiet Hermione grasped the Staff before doing so herself. Harry saw the bewildered look on the girl's face as he felt the pull at his navel.

**2****nd**** May, 2011**

Harry soon found himself back in his house. He swiftly turned to Hermione. "Can you introduce Myrtle to everyone? I want to retrieve the last few people so we can get the last person," Hermione nodded and pulled Myrtle away and towards Ron who looked like he had seen a ghost. Almost literally in this case.

"Come on, Luna," Harry said, pulling Luna towards Colin and his parents. Severus was no longer with them but Sirius was, "Only my dad's parents, my mum's parents and Severus' mother to go before the last one."

Luna nodded. "Good thing, too. I'm getting tired and more than a little hungry, though that could be the Hopflackers."

"Could be, Luna," Harry agreed. When they reached Harry's parents, Colin was laughing at something Sirius had apparently said. Harry's mum was scowling slightly, which made his father laugh harder. Lily Luna was still in Colin's lap and seemed to be falling asleep on his shoulder. As they approached, Colin looked up.

"How'd it go?" He asked.

"Great. Hermione's introducing Myrtle to everyone," Colin nodded and Harry turned to his father, "We'll go and get your parents now."

James nodded and stood before looking to Sirius. "Well, Padfoot. D'you want to come with? I mean they were practically your parents as well."

Sirius nodded. "That they were, Prongs. I think I will accompany you on this quest. If it's alright with Harry of course."

"How could I say no?" Harry asked with a chuckle. He then looked to Colin, "Are you okay to look after Lily, while I finish these up?" Colin looked very proud to be asked to do this.

"Yes, I will. I have your mum to help if I need it. She said I can call her Aunt Lily," He started to sound more like the Colin that Harry remembered, "I never liked any of my real aunts. Real stuck up they were."

"That's really great Colin," He turned to his mum, "Thanks for doing that."

Before his mother could ask him what she did, Harry turned and motioned for Luna to hold out the staff, which she did. Harry's father quickly told Luna where and when to go to. Harry, his father and Sirius all grabbed hold and they were soon gone.

**22****nd**** August, 1981**

James Potter felt his feet hit the stone floor and looked around. It was most definitely Potter Manor. That was absolutely certain. It had a certain charm about it that made it seem very different to other pureblood manors. It wasn't dark or dreary. Actually, it felt rather like Hogwarts, probably due to the fact that it was built around the same time.

That being said, however, James didn't really think that he would ever raise children in the manor. He had grown up in the very room that he, Harry, Sirius and Luna were all standing in, but he had always felt something missing. When he was older, around the time he moved in to the house in Godric's Hollow, he realised what it was that was missing. He never had any true feeling of closeness with his family.

Sure, they were closer than any other pureblood families, but he rarely saw his father around the Manor as there was a lot of rooms and it was often very hard to navigate. When he was a child, his mother tended to stay close to him. Truth be told, she was the best mother in the world. His father was not the best by any stretch of the imagination, but he did his best and he truly loved James with all his heart.

Perhaps it was that lack of true closeness with his father that led James to want a smaller home. Somewhere his children would always see him. Somewhere he could see his children when he wanted. Somewhere that his children would always feel wanted.

James looked to his son who was strangely older than him. Harry had grown up without him and Lily in his life and James was struggling to see where Harry would have been sent. With Sirius looking like he did, Lily and himself dead, both his and Lily's parents dead there was really only one place Harry could have been sent. But something had happened to the Longbottom's as well. Harry wouldn't have retrieved them so early if something hadn't happened to them as well somewhere after his and Lily's deaths.

James had thought earlier on who could have brought Harry up, each name becoming more preposterous than the last, until he finally came to Vernon and Petunia Dursley, Harry's last remaining family. Surely he wouldn't be placed with them. If anyone, Dumbledore wouldn't allow it. _He does have a soft spot for muggles, though_, James had thought. He shuddered to think what would have happened had Harry been placed in the Dursleys' care and thought about more pleasant things.

As James looked around the bare room that was formerly his bedroom, he caught sight of Luna shortening the staff and Sirius looking around in wonder. "I think we ought to get moving," James said, "We want to get back as soon as possible."

Everyone nodded, so James called out, "Dopey!" and there was instantly a crack and a lazy looking house elf stood before him.

"Master James called?" The elf asked in a slightly deeper voice than what seemed normal for House Elves. James had always liked this elf for just that reason. For some irrational reason, the high-pitched voices that House Elves normally had always freaked him out.

"Yes, Dopey. I need you to take myself and my friends to my parents immediately," James said nicely to the elf, "This is very important," There was a slight nod from the elf before it reached out a hand and James, Sirius, Harry and Luna all grabbed hold. Apparating via House Elf was very different from apparating by yourself. The feeling of being squeezed through a tube was not there, which was always a positive.

The room they appeared in was quite large and filled with ornaments that seemed to be hundreds of years old. The furniture, however, looked reasonably new. In one large chair sat a man that had the same black hair that James and Harry had. Despite his age, there was not even the slightest hint of greying hair. He looked very distinguished, almost as if he could be Minister For Magic if he so chose to be. Across from Charlus Potter sat a lovely looking woman with long, light brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. Dorea Potter had a very motherly feel about her. James had been told that he was a mixture of both of his parents, with his father's hair and build while he had a lot of his mother's face. Both of the occupants of the room looked up when they heard the crack.

"Masters James and Sirius are here with two friends," Dopey announced. James' parents looked at the four standing in front of them. They both looked a little confused. James figured it was because both he and Sirius were supposed to be in hiding.

"James, dear. What are you doing here? Who are your friends? Where are Lily and young Harry?" His mother asked. She and his father looked at him expectantly. James let out a small sigh.

"We are here because we need to discuss something important, mum," James said, sitting in a lounge chair along with Sirius. He then motioned for Harry and Luna to sit as well, "I think we should just get to the point. What do you know about the wizard known as Yargly?"

Both of his parents' eyes widened at the mention of that particular wizard's name. James knew that his mother, at the very least, would know the name. She was brought up in the Black household after all and would have been taught something like this. He wasn't surprised that his father knew of the name as well. He, too, had been brought up by purebloods, but not in an extreme way like his mother.

James had heard of Yargly before, but it took Lily believing Harry's story for him to actually believe that his son could have the staff and be from another universe. It wasn't exactly a shocking revelation, it was more just unbelievable. But there he was, back with his parents again.

"Yargly was a very powerful wizard before he disappeared," James' father said, "He had apparently mastered both time and universe manipulation along with a large variety of other magic. What does this have to do with your being here right now?" Sirius answered him.

"I take it that you both know of people who have locked their magic away in inanimate objects before, mainly staffs?" When he received two nods, Sirius looked to Luna and nodded. Luna retrieved the staff from behind her ear and resized it. There were two gasps of shock from James' parents as they seemed to realise what it was. James had never heard his father gasp in shock before. It was quite a shock.

"I take it that staff has Yargly's powers then?" James' father asked quietly.

"It does, indeed," James said, "We've been using it all day, where we're from."

"Where _are_ you from?" His mother asked, her eyes not moving from the staff.

"2011," Harry replied, "Myself and Luna," He indicated to the blonde, "Along with a few other assorted friends decided something needed to be done. You see, after the current war, there is a period of peace but then another war breaks out. My friends and I did not like the amount of deaths that occurred in both, and then, on the thirteenth anniversary of the end of the Second War, Yargly appeared to Luna and gave her this staff so we could retrieve the dead."

James' parents paled. "So, that means we die," His mother whispered.

"Sadly, yes," James replied, fighting back the tears at the memories of his parents' death, "Not far from this point. That's why we've come back. To get both of you."

"That explains why Sirius looks so much older than you, James," His father said, looking from James to Sirius, "That means you die not far from now as well."

James could only nod. He decided not to say anything about Sirius' death so as to not ruin the books for his parents.

"We will go with you," James' mother said in a tone of voice that was not to be messed with. She looked to Harry, "But first, who are you?"

"My name is Harry Potter. Your grandson," James had never seen his mother do what she did next. She burst into tears and ran from her seat and crashed into her grandson, hugging him tightly. She was whispering in the man's ears. While she was doing so, James' father stood and walked to his grandson, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. After a short conversation, Harry began to talk to them seriously again, "When we get back to our universe, we are going to be reading a set of seven books based on my life at Hogwarts that was written by someone who we believe to be both a squib and a seer. A lot of your questions will most likely be answered through them."

James' parents both nodded. "What do we do know?" His mother asked.

"Grab the staff," Luna said airily, holding out the staff. After one brief look, Charlus and Dorea Potter grasped the staff along with their houseguests and they soon disappeared with a flash of light, leaving a confused Dopey in their wake.

**2****nd**** May, 2011**

The moment Harry's feet hit the carpet he looked to his father, Sirius and his grandparents. "Can you take Grandma and Grandpa around and introduce and reintroduce them to people while Luna and I gather the rest?"

"Of course, son," James gave Harry a hug, "Thank you so much for this. Good luck with the rest."

Harry nodded and his father turned around to lead his parents around the room. Harry looked behind him to see Colin still holding a sleeping Lily Luna Potter, while talking to her Grandmother of the same first name. Harry walked over and grasped Colin's shoulder.

"Mind if I steal my mother for a minute?" Harry asked. Colin looked up at him and smiled.

"Of course not, Harry," He looked at the young girl asleep on his shoulder, "Is there anywhere I can take her to let her sleep? I think a bed might be more comfortable than my shoulder."

Harry chuckled. "You would think so, but this little girl likes human pillows," Colin laughed a little as Harry continued, "Just take her upstairs and put her in the second room on the right of the hallway."

Colin nodded and stood up gently, trying not to wake the little girl, before making his way to the stairs and out of sight. Harry was watching him go up the stairs when his mother spoke up. "He's really good with her, you know. Actually, I saw him with your other kids. He seems to be good with kids in general," She said quietly. Harry could only nod.

"It does look that way doesn't it?" It was then that Harry made a mental note to talk with Ginny about something, before looking at his mother, "It's time to get your parents. Is there anyone you would like to take with you?"

"You can come. Other than that, no. James is busy with his parents at the moment, so it'll just be you and me," There was a slight cough from behind Harry, "And Luna of course," Harry couldn't help it. He burst out laughing. He had never known Luna to be someone who would do that, and it was rather funny when she did. When he finished laughing, Harry looked to his mother again.

"What date and where?"

"Three days before when you got James' parents and 72 Edward Street in Cokeworth. Out the front will do," Lily replied quickly. Harry and Luna both nodded and Luna held out the staff, which Harry and Lily both grabbed. They all disappeared in a flash of light.

**19****th**** August, 1981**

Lily Potter felt her feet hit cement and she soon looked directly in front of her. She saw her childhood home in front of her. It was almost a carbon copy of the other houses surrounding it. It was a two storey house and had an immensely well kept front garden. Lily had always felt at home in this house.

Unlike all of the neighbours, David and Leigh Evans did not feel the need to act a certain way, and Lily had always admired them for that particular fact. Everyone else on the street were so pretentious and nosy that it made Lily sick to think about them. Petunia was the exact opposite to her parents and Lily. She actually admired the pretentiousness of the people surrounding their childhood home.

Luna had already shortened the staff when Lily looked at her and Harry. Harry seemed to have an almost haunted look on his face, which Lily didn't like one bit. She so desperately wanted to know all about her son, but she knew she would not get answers by asking him. She would have to wait.

"Let's go," Lily announced, motioning towards the front door of the house. She walked slowly towards it, followed by Luna and Harry. When she reached it, Lily took a deep, shuddering breath and knocked on the door. About a minute later, the door opened to reveal a man who looked to be in his late fifties, with grey hair. He smiled at the sight of Lily but looked confused when he saw Luna and Harry.

"Hello Lily, honey," David Evans said, embracing his daughter. When they broke apart he looked to the other two, "Something's different about James," He said. Lily laughed.

"Long story, dad," She said happily, "May we come in?" Her father nodded and motioned the three to enter. Lily led Harry and Luna to the sitting room of the house where she saw her mother sitting in a chair, knitting something. Leigh Evans' hair was still as red as it was when she was twenty. She was a very slender woman who looked very good for her age.

"Lily! What a surprise! We weren't expecting you. Where is my grandson?" The questions tumbled out of the older woman's mouth extremely quickly. Lily hugged her and sat down.

"It's a long story but we need to start somewhere," Lily sighed as her father sat next to her and Luna and Harry sat across from where she was, "What I am going to tell you will be very hard to believe."

Lily had realised that the normal approach wouldn't work on her parents as they were muggles and would not know anything about Yargly. So she decided to do something different.

"We've been learning strange things since you were eleven," Lily's father said with a chuckle.

"Yes, but this is quite huge," Lily's voice was serious and her parents' demeanours changed immediately. They knew that it was important, "I, along with these two, have jumped across universes and moved around through time," Lily placed a hand up to stop her parents from interrupting, "These two, along with their friends found a way to do so using magic. The reason being that too many lives were lost in the war the magical world is currently in and the one that will come in a few years. They have been retrieving the casualties of both wars. You are two such casualties."

Just like nearly everyone else, Lily's parents paled."We get killed because of the war going on in the magical world?"Her mother asked quietly.

"Yes. A day from now your house was attacked by Death Eaters and you were violently killed. James' parents were killed three days after you, and James and I were killed at the end of October this year. Harry survived," Lily looked to her son, "In fact, he is right here."

Lily's mum almost squealed in delight as she leapt up and hugged her grandson. Lily's father still looked shocked. "So, you can take us with you to where you came from?"

"Yes we can, Mr. Evans," Luna replied serenely, reaching to her ear, retrieving the staff and resizing it, "All you have to do is grab the staff."

"But, before we go," Harry said quickly, "We cannot tell you anything that has happened in our universe because it will all be explained through a series of books about my years at Hogwarts. Most of your questions will probably be answered," Harry looked at them seriously, "It may be best if you quickly pack some stuff to take with you. Wizards can transfigure what they need, but you have no such luxury."

Lily's parents nodded and went upstairs to pack their bags. While they were away, Lily took Harry and Luna on a quick tour of the house. It was about ten minutes before her parents returned with a bag each. "We're ready."

"Okay," Luna replied, offering the staff to them, "You just need to grab it, but be aware that it will feel strange," The two nodded and grasped the staff. All five disappeared in a flash of light and felt a pull at their navels.

**2****nd**** May, 2011**

Harry, not wanting to waste time, turned to his mother as they landed. "Before you show your parents around, can you quickly find Severus for me?" Lily nodded and moved swiftly away. Harry turned to his grandparents who were looking at all of the people in the room in awe.

"I just realised that you don't know much about me," Harry said. He looked around the room and found Ginny talking to Myrtle and Hermione, "See that woman with the red hair? That's my wife Ginny Potter. We have three kids. James Sirius is the oldest, followed by Albus and then Lily Luna who is currently upstairs. I don't know where the other two are, though."

"Wait! We're great-grandparents?" His grandmother exclaimed, "I have to meet them!" Harry and his grandfather both chuckled.

"Just go and talk to Ginny. Tell her who you are and she'll find the two boys for you," Harry said. His grandmother hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, while his grandfather grasped his shoulder before leaving in Ginny's direction. Harry turned to the stairs to see Colin come down. Colin made his way over to Harry.

"Lily's up in her room, asleep. I hope I did everything alright," Colin said, sounding slightly anxious. Harry smiled at him.

"You're a natural, Colin. You'll make a fantastic father one day," Colin blushed at the praise before muttering his thanks, "You will! Lily doesn't warm up to just anyone. She's really , Ginny, Luna, Hermione and Angelina are all fine. To this day she won't let Ron or George touch her. The only other males who are allowed to pick her up are Bill, Charlie and Arthur. She won't let anyone else near her."

Colin beamed and was about to say something when Harry's mother came up from behind him, nearly dragging Severus alongside her. "Enough! I'm here. I'll go now," Severus said irritably.

"You don't want anyone else to go with you?" Luna asked absently. Severus' eyes flickered slightly to Lily before he spoke.

"No. I'll go with you alone."

"When and where?" Luna asked quickly.

"November 27 in 1977. The last house on Spinner's End. Number 52," Severus' voice had a tinge of sadness or even regret to it which did not go unnoticed by Harry, "Try to get there around midday. My father worked then."

Luna nodded in understanding before holding out the staff. Harry watched as Severus almost reluctantly grasped the staff. There was a flash of light and they were gone.

**27****th**** November, 1977**

Severus Snape, former Death Eater, part of Lord Voldemort's Inner Circle, Potions Professor and most hated man at Hogwarts looked around to his childhood, and future, home. Ever since Harry Potter had entered his life a mere half-hour or so before, Severus' spirits were lifted in a way that he hadn't felt since he was in his fifth year at Hogwarts. The moment he saw Lily Evans again, he felt a weight lift from him.

Everyone who knew him thought he was a complete, uncaring bastard who loved torturing children. Everyone except Albus Dumbledore that is. Albus Dumbledore. Severus never knew why Albus ever trusted him. Severus knew that if he was in Albus' shoes there would be absolutely no way he would ever trust a former Death Eater. But Albus had always felt like he could help anyone redeem their souls. It was both brilliant and a failing of the older wizard.

Ever since Lily died, Snape had brooded. It was as if he was in constant mourning. Lily Evans was his only friend ever. The only person who really cared about him. The only person he loved. And he went and got her killed. That was truly the breaking point of Severus Snape. He defected. Fled to Albus Dumbledore, remaining a vital spy for the light. If he had not had that job Severus would likely have done something about his pain.

He knew that there was absolutely no way that he could ever have Lily Evans. As much as he loathed the man, she was happy with James Potter. James Potter was another person Severus had thought a lot about, particularly after his retrieval. The man _was_ giving him a chance and wasn't being, well, James Potter. Even Sirius Black was being civil to him. Perhaps, this time around, things will be different.

Severus thought about the books they were going to read. A part of him wanted to scoff at the idea, but another very large part of him was very intrigued. If the Dark Lord did return, that would mean that he would have to return as a spy. What would happen to him? What would the Dark Lord force him to do?

Absently, Severus lifted the sleeve of his left arm up and saw that the Dark Mark was gone. He almost fell backwards. For the first time in so many years, the Dark Mark was actually gone. Severus gingerly rubbed his fingers along his forearm in awe. The loss of the mark meant no more servitude. No more.

Severus turned to the blonde witch who was staring curiously at him, her large blue eyes seemingly swimming, as if she was somewhere else. He noticed the staff was tucked behind her ear. "Let's go then," He said in a rough voice. He would have to work on the social aspect of life again, he supposed. However, Luna nodded, taking it in her stride.

Severus walked up to the door and rapped on it a few times. He was suddenly very aware that he was older than he should be. It would have to do. It took almost two minutes for the door to finally creak open, revealing a skinny, sullen-faced witch who seemed a little too pale. She looked out the crack in surprise.

In what was a very slow movement, Eileen Snape raised her wand, only to have herself silently disarmed by Severus. "May we come in, mother?" Severus asked in a slightly cold voice. His mother looked at him disbelieving.

"You aren't my son! Who are you?" She asked in a raspy voice.

"My name is Severus Snape. I was taken by you to St. Mungo's when I was eight after my father, Tobias, nearly broke my neck. You told the Healers I fell down a flight of stairs," The woman's eyes widened almost imperceptibly to anyone, but Severus had learnt how to detect such movements.

"Fine. Come in. You still look strange though," His mother started rambling before she finally asked, "And who is this you are with?"

Severus' mother had just seated herself in a very old armchair while Severus sat on a lounge chair. Luna sat in a chair near a large bookcase. "The girls name is Luna," Severus said before looking to his mother, "We have a way out for you."

Severus' mother seemed to nearly choke on thin air. "A way out of what, Severus?" She asked when she regained her breath.

"Your marriage with my father," Severus said, almost spitting out the words 'my father'. A fain flicker of hope passed through the older looking witch's eyes before she looked at Severus.

"How exactly do you plan to do this?" She asked curtly. Severus sneered.

"A combination of universe and time travel," He said, getting to the point. There was a sharp intake of breath from his mother, but she said nothing, "A group from the year 2011 have found a staff which can do both of these things and have been retrieving people who had died prior to then. They _were_ going to use it only on those killed due to the wars, but they allowed me to retrieve you. Mother," Severus looked at her seriously, "This is your chance to be rid of him forever."

His mother, always devoid of emotional reactions, did not even let so much as a tear drop. She just nodded and spoke softly. "Thank you, Severus. I really have no choice. What do I do?"

Luna then spoke up. As she spoke, she re-sized the staff. "All you have to do, Mrs. Snape, is grab hold of the staff and I will take us to where we came from," Severus then remembered that he had his mother's wand and handed it back to her. Luna held out the staff and it took a few seconds for Eileen Snape to grasp it. But when she did, a look of relief fell across her face. They disappeared in a flash of light.

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**_Authors Note_**

**I would like to apologise for the wait. Trust me, there are a lot of reasons why. I have a lot going on with the end of High School near, a trip over the last weekend, lots of study and social stuff. Also, the fact that I totally agreed with some of the reviewers about the inclusion of the above retrievals lengthened the time.**

**Thanks to _SokkasFirstFangirl_, _dysall75_, _Taeniaea_, _Shinigami_, _naddasyafira_, _sassyx15_ and _Blood-MoonO230_ for reviewing.**

_**dysall75**_** - Thanks for the list there. As you noticed, I used all of yours except Ollivander. I thought about him for a while before deciding against it. I figure it would be weird to have two Ollivanders. But the rest where absolutely fantastic. I made them my own, but thank you for giving me the ideas.**

_**Shinigami**_** - A nice long one. Love it. I'll answer you in order. I am unsure about Colin and Dennis' parents as of right now. They will be involved, but I am not sure whether or not to include them in reading all of the books. I haven't covered Kreacher's reaction yet. Didn't even give it a thought to be honest. Look out for it in the next chapter, maybe the one after next. Neville's Uncle Algie? Now there is an obscure one. Don't think I've seen one where he reads the books. I might include him in the story but not the book reading. I agree about Narcissa and I will leave Scorpius and Astoria alone. They were never targets in my eyes. Draco is a bit, but I will make him likable here. At least as much as he can be. I like the dummies idea. Might just use that. Thanks again for the review.**

**Beletrium**

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**This is the longast chapter so far. A lot of you probably see that we are focusing on Colin. We are doing this because we want Colin to have a larger part. Plus, Beletrium's story about Colin just fit so well that we had to use it.**

**Who do you think should adopt Myrtle? We don't want Harry and Ginny to, to be honest. We were thinking maybe Arthur and Molly. Just a thought.**

**We have what may be a problem. We have done up a list of readers of the books. We have, at the moment, 77 definites to read the books as well as 5 most likely's and a handful of maybe's. Do you all think this is too many, or do you think we can handle it? Personally, we think it is possible to do. It may just seem a bit crowded at times.**

**We will not make any promises as to when the next chapter will be up as it seems that we cannot keep them that well. After next week, Beletrium should have a bit more time to write so it may be quicker. The next chapter, maybe the next two, will be gathering everyone else like this one was supposed to be. We will put a list of the readers at the top of the next chapter to let you all know who will be reading. It is a rather long list, as we have told you, but you deserve to know.**

**We will endeavour to get the next chapter up ASAP but there are no promises being made. Feel free to review.**

**Koldrian (Beletrium and Kuhal)**


	8. Interlude: Telling The Rest 1

_**Disclaimer**_** - I do not intend any copyright infringement. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. This story is purely for the enjoyment of fanfiction readers and the author. There is not any money being made from this story, nor will there ever be any made.**

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_**Interlude: Telling The Rest 1**_

Harry felt his feet hit the floor for what would be the second to last time. In many ways this was a relief as it meant that it would all finally be over and everyone could just get back to their lives or, in the case of the people who had been retrieved, start relatively new lives. He knew what was coming up would likely be extremely difficult for many different reasons. Bringing Tom Riddle back to their universe could cause quite a bit of anger or even outrage among the community.

But even more than that, Harry was beginning to feel nervous about having to tell everyone else what they have done. Sure, it will probably be celebrated, but what happens when the community finds out? And they did have to find out. There was no way that any of the retrieved could just integrate back into society without being noticed, with the possible exception of Ariana Dumbledore since no one knew much about her anyway. Everyone else was far too well known for it to happen.

Harry quickly made a mental note to tell Kingsley Shacklebolt first. Kingsley was appointed as the Minister For Magic after Voldemort's downfall and had not left the post because he was just too good at the job. Although, at that time, he had begun to drop hints at a possible retirement. Kingsley, Harry knew, would accept everyone who had been retrieved with open arms but he would also have to deal with any backlash. He would definitely want a heads up.

Harry then realised that there would have to be some form of formal announcement. Though Harry didn't like it, he had grown to accept the attention that he garnered in the magical world. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he had actually done something to deserve it other than survive when his parents didn't. When he thought about it, the best way to do this would be on his own terms. Rita Skeeter was still around, despite being sixty years old, and was still writing stories, though they were far less derogatory as they used to be. Luckily for Harry, Parvati Patil had become a journalist after leaving Hogwarts and Harry had given her most of his interviews or stories. He would have to visit her.

The next problem that had crossed his mind was the Hogwarts Professors. There wasn't a way that they could all take time off to visit the retrieved. He figured that they could come one or two at a time. That thought was before he realised that everyone with him could just go to Hogwarts. It was while on this train of thought that Harry realised a way to kill two birds with one stone. Hold the announcement at Hogwarts.

After the war, Hogwarts became even better respected than it already was and a shrine for the fallen was even set up there. Harry had no doubt that Minerva would let them hold the announcement in the Great Hall. He had noticed that Minerva was actually a very sweet woman once you were not under her rule at Hogwarts, and she always seemed to find it hard to say no to Harry.

The last problem, that Harry could see, was how the public would react to the staff. There were a lot of deaths in the wars and Harry could imagine that every man, woman, child and their dog would want to use it to retrieve loved ones, but what should they do about it? Luna was the only person who could actually work the staff and Harry didn't think that it would be good for her to be going on so many retrievals. Despite this, Harry wanted to help them. Maybe it was his 'saving people thing' but he just couldn't help feeling like he did. He figured that it would have to be discussed after the final retrieval.

During his thoughts, Harry had migrated around the room checking on everyone, not really paying all that much attention to them. When he reached Ginny, she put her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Forget destroying Voldemort," She whispered, "This is the greatest thing you have ever done."

Harry looked her in the eyes. "We've done, Ginny. Me, you, Luna, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Hannah, George and Angelina. It was a group effort and I refuse to take credit for it all," Harry paused and kissed her, "Besides, Luna should get the most credit. Without her, this whole thing would not have been possible."

Ginny nodded. "You're right, Harry," She sighed and let go of him, "I take it you have a few things to do?"

"I do indeed, Gin," Harry replied, "First off, I'm going to talk to Kingsley. He deserves a heads-up," Ginny nodded in agreement, "Then I think we should head to the Burrow and let your parents and Charlie know about Fred," Charlie was in England for a few days because of the anniversary and was staying with his parents, "Then we'll head to Shell Cottage and Percy's place to tell them. And from there I'll take Colin to see Dennis then...well I guess I'll wing it from there. We need to get Andromeda as soon as possible. Aberforth will want to know about Ariana. Neville will want to get his Gran. There's heaps to do," Harry looked at Ginny intensely, "Are you sure you're okay with adopting Tom Riddle?"

Ginny paused for a moment looking thoughtful. "I've given it some thought and I've come to realise that the Tom Riddle we plan to adopt is not the same Tom Riddle from the diary or even the same Tom Riddle who killed your parents or the same Tom Riddle who you destroyed," Ginny's voice was full of conviction as she spoke, "This Tom Riddle is a scared child. A scared, bullied child. So, to answer your question, yes, I'm sure. Even Tom Riddle deserves a second chance."

Harry beamed at his wife. This was exactly how he felt on the situation and he was very glad that Ginny felt the same way. "That's great, Gin. I feel the same way," Harry kissed her again, "I'm just gonna go and talk to Kingsley for a few minutes, okay? Oh, by the way, Colin put Lily in her bed. She fell asleep on his shoulder," Ginny nodded as Harry moved to the fireplace. Harry grabbed a handful of Floo Powder, stepped into the flames, threw the powder down and said, "Minister For Magic's Office" and promptly disappeared.

Kingsley Shacklebolt was having a very emotional day. Being the anniversary of the fall of Voldemort, he had a lot of functions to go to, and not one of them was what one would call a happy occasion. He had an interview for the Daily Prophet, he went to Hogwarts for the ceremony that was held every year for the fallen, he had lunch with the muggle Prime Minister and even had to deal with a few Death Eater stunts, done by the tattered remains of Voldemort's followers. Luckily there were no deaths, mainly just the Death Eaters having their own sick variety of 'fun' with a few groups of muggles.

As Kingsley sat back in his large, ornate chair in his office, he felt a strange calm wash over him. As though a great unjustness had become just again. Kingsley had always had this power, even as a child. It was as if nature talked to him through emotions. That was what had made him such a brilliant auror. Nature itself would help him, just as Tonks' metamporphmagus ability helped her, though Kingsley kept his ability quiet.

The thoughts of Tonks made him feel a deep feeling of sadness, as it always had. Kingsley was rather close to the young woman. She was always so upbeat, even in the bleakest situations, which Kingsley greatly admired. Out of all of the aurors he worked with, she was the only one who he would actively see outside of his work. Her death had hit him hard, but Kingsley had always been a tough man. He never let much get to him for very long. This helped him to assume the role of Minister For Magic a lot easier.

At first, Kingsley had wondered why he was chosen, but as the years passed he realised why. The ministry was in ruins after the war. They had three ministers who did not do their jobs properly. Fudge was a bumbling moron, Scrimgeour was more interested in the Ministry's image than actually doing anything and Thicknesse was Imperiused. It was absolutely no wonder why the community put their faith in Kingsley. He had helped lead the battle against Voldemort and he was capable. He was trustworthy.

As it always did on May the second, Kingsley's brain worked in overdrive, thinking of his duties, the war, the deaths, the successes, the failures and, most of all, the future. Just as he began to think about the future of the world that he ran, Kingsley heard the chime from his fireplace indicating that someone was coming. He had very few people who could enter his office in such a way. The Weasleys and Harry Potter along with the heads of each department in the Ministry were the only people allowed access to his fireplace. Before he could contemplate who it would be, the fireplace sprung to life and Harry Potter came tumbling out of it.

Despite the day, Kingsley couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the 'Wizarding World's Saviour' nearly falling on his face coming out of his fireplace. Harry gave him a mock glare before cracking a large smile himself.

"Have a seat, Harry," Kingsley said in his deep voice after Harry did a charm to rid himself of the soot, "What brings you here today?"

Harry took a seat in front of Kingsley's desk and did nothing but smile. Kingsley knew that something must have happened because Harry always stayed relatively secluded on May the second, and never cracked a smile on the day. Unknowingly, Kingsley leant forward, extremely intrigued as to what Harry would say.

"Have you ever heard of Yargly, Kingsley?" Harry asked. Kingsley had indeed heard of Yargly, but the following story made Kingsley almost fall out of his chair multiple times. Apparently Harry Potter and a large group of his friends were given a staff to take them across universes, so they retrieved their dead friends and family. Kingsley could only stare at the man sitting across from him as he listed all of the people that they had retrieved.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I have to see this for myself," Kingsley finally said after about a minute of silence. Harry nodded.

"I figured as much. Just one last thing, though. You can't tell any of them how they died," Kingsley raised his eyebrows in response to this, "As you know, there are some books written about me that are hugely popular in the muggle world," Kingsley nodded. Those books caused quite a stir when the first one was published and the controversy got worse as time went on, "We are going to read the books as a group because it will give them a lot more information then we can give them."

Kingsley nodded. It made sense. The books, though only from Harry's perspective, have more information than anyone can really remember. It would do good to actually read the books than tell everyone what could be remembered. The conversation lasted no longer as they left for Harry's house.

Kingsley didn't stay at Harry's for very long. He had told Harry that he needed to do some work and that he wouldn't say anything until the formal announcement. Harry did follow him to his office for one last thing.

"We still have one retrieval left, Kingsley," Harry said, looking nervous.

"Oh? Who?" Kingsley really couldn't think of anyone else that Harry would think to get.

"Well, when Yargly gave Luna the staff, he told her that we should use the staff for 'redemption purposes' also," something ticked over in Kingsley's mind, "So we've decided to get a seven year old Tom Riddle."

Kingsley just stared at Harry for a while before he came to his senses. After the war, Harry had told Kingsley all about the memories he saw with Dumbledore, in particular the one about the young Riddle boy from the orphanage. He had been bullied and brought up in an atmosphere of despair. It was really no wonder he turned out like he did. At first, Kingsley was very against Tom Riddle even being in the universe again, but Harry did have a point. No child was ever born evil.

"Well, I was not expecting those words to come out of your mouth," Kingsley said with a slight, nervous chuckle, "But I think the idea is a good one."

Harry returned to his house and sought out Ginny. When he found her he leant and whispered, "We have Ministry approval," And Ginny whirled around and hugged him, "Now that that is done, I think we should head on over to the Burrow. Why don't you go and let Ron, Hermione, George and Angelina know and I'll go and let Colin, Sirius and my parents know to watch the kids," Ginny nodded and made her way to find her family.

Harry soon found his mother watching his father, Colin, Sirius and Regulus playing with the kids while Severus tried to look like he wasn't watching. He stood next to his mother. "Ginny and I are going with some others to alert the rest of the Weasley clan about what has happened," Lily smiled her warm smile at him as Harry continued, "I just need you to watch all the kids for a while."

"Of course, honey. I'll do anything for you. Watching my grandkids is a bonus," His mother's green eyes seemed to twinkle as she spoke. Harry realised at that point why people always commented on his own eyes.

"Thanks, mum," Harry said before walking towards Colin who seemed to be being attacked by Albus and Hugo, "Mind if I take Uncle Colin for a while?" Harry asked the two boys who giggled and ran to Sirius who almost fell backwards from the impact.

"Everything okay Harry?" Colin asked, standing up.

"I thought I should let you know that Ginny, Ron, Hermione, George, Angelina and I are going to get the rest of the Weasley clan," Colin nodded, "I also wanted to ask you if you would go up and check on Lily for me."

"Of course, Harry," Colin said excitedly, "I'll do it straight away," And he did. He made his way up the stairs as fast as he could while Harry walked away to where his wife was standing with the others.

"We're all ready to go, Harry," Ron said happily. He obviously knew, and Harry did to, how much it would mean for Molly Weasley to have Fred back. Harry nodded at his best friend.

"Let's go then," Harry said. A second later the sound of six disapparation pops filled the room.

Molly Weasley was working as she always did whenever she was sad or anxious. It seemed that she always worked harder on May the second than any other day in the year. It was because the day reminded her of Fred. Not only that, but it also reminded her of Fabian and Gideon as well. They were both killed as a result of the war and were included in the monument at Hogwarts. Every year, Molly would cry. Not just for Fred, Fabian and Gideon but for everyone killed during the war. For everyone who survived. For herself.

But, she was done with crying for the day. Arthur and Charlie had helped her through it all day and she could not have felt more grateful. She was so glad that Arthur took the day off like so many others and that Charlie had come by for a few days. Normally he would stay with Bill and Fleur but he decided to stay with her this year. And Molly loved him for it.

It was while she was busy peeling potatoes the muggle way when she heard the distinct sound of six pops indicating apparation. Within an instant she had her wand in her hand. Molly was not usually a jumpy person but she was always cautious on May the second. She was aware that what happened to Bellatrix Lestrange would be in the minds of many of the remaining Death Eaters so she was wary. But when she looked out the window all she saw was family.

Molly quickly put away her wand and made her way out to greet them all. "How lovely to see you, dears!" She exclaimed, hugging them all, one-by-one, "What brings you here today?" It was as she said this that she noticed the six smiles. This unnerved her slightly. She wondered what they could possibly have to smile about.

"We have news," Ginny said happily, "But we want Charlie and Dad to hear it as well."

"Alright. They're just inside in the sitting room," Molly turned to the house and hurried inside, being followed by the six adults. She didn't want to waste time in finding out what the news was so she headed directly for the sitting room. The look on her face must have tipped Arthur and Charlie off.

"Is everything alright, dear?" Arthur asked, getting to his feet.

"Everything's fine, Arthur. Ginny, Ron, George, Angelina, Hermione and Harry are here. They have news. And they're _smiling_," Molly said the last word as if it was foreign to her. At that moment, Ron and Hermione stepped through the door to the sitting room, followed by George and Angelina and lastly Harry and Ginny.

"So, what's up?" Charlie asked. Molly wanted to chastise him about being so blunt, but she didn't because she, too, wanted to know.

"Have any of you heard of Yargly?" The name did not ring any bells in Molly's head. Apparently it did not ring any for Charlie or Arthur either because they shook their heads as well.

And then came the story. Molly had never felt happier in her entire life when they said that they had retrieved not only Fred but Fabian and Gideon as well. She gave each of the six of them a bone-crushing hug that would have rivalled Hagrids. She then demanded to know where Luna was and received laughs from everyone who was present.

"We all know that you really want to see them –" Harry began before being cut off by Molly.

"Of course we do!"

"I know, but we think it would be best if we went and told Bill, Fleur, Percy and Audrey first," Harry finished. Molly wanted to object, and began to before Arthur put a calming hand on her arm.

"Well then we'll do that," Arthur declared. Molly couldn't help but understand. As much as she wanted to see her son and brothers, Bill and Percy would want to see their brother and uncles.

"Yes, we will," Molly said quietly.

"Where to first?" Charlie asked, sounding excited.

"How about Shell Cottage and then Percy's?" Angelina suggested. Molly nodded quickly, "Let's go then," Everyone stood up and promptly disapparated.

Fleur Weasley always felt left out on May the second, and not for a good reason. The war that the day stood for had not touched her as much as many other people, even her own husband. Bill had lost Fred on that day. It was not that Fleur didn't care, she cared a lot, but she was not that close with Fred or anyone else, really, that had died.

She understood the significance of the day and cried every year for the losses that were sustained but she had no emotional connection to it. Even though Fred was Bill's brother, Fleur had not really known him all that well. That's not to say that his death did not hurt her, it did, just not as much as everyone else, it seemed. Not that she wanted to be included in this, but everyone was always distant on the day.

Fleur had spent much of her day with Bill, Victoire, Domique and Louis. She found that she was doing a lot more than usual, but she didn't mind. Bill had every right to be distant. She was watching Bill play with Louis when she heard a lot of loud pops outside the house. Bill quickly put Louis down and had his wand in his hand. Fleur did the same. Being closer to a window, Fleur slowly edged towards it. When she got close enough to look out, she saw that it was only her family.

Fleur sighed in relief and stowed away her wand. She saw Bill do the same when she looked at him. She moved to the door and opened it, revealing a very fast moving Molly Weasley. Fleur couldn't get away fast enough so she took the full brunt of a charging, crying and smiling Molly. "Oh, it's wonderful! Just wonderful!" The older woman was crying. Fleur looked to Bill with a perplexed look on her face, but Bill looked just as confused.

"What eez wonderful, Molly?" Fleur asked her mother in law. Molly looked inquiringly at the group who, Fleur noticed, all had smiles plastered on their faces. They all nodded and Molly whirled back around to face Bill and Fleur.

"They found a way to get Fred, Fabian and Gideon back!" She cried, breaking down in happy tears again, hugging her eldest son. Fleur was confused. Did Molly say what Fleur thought she did? Did she really just say that her son and brothers were alive again?

"What do you mean, mum?" Bill choked out.

"She means," Ronald began to say, "That we have Fred back as well as Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon," Fleur knew that they would not joke about this type of thing, especially not on May the second, but how did they do it?

Luckily, Harry and Hermione explained the staff, the universe travel and the retrievals to them. Fleur felt deliriously happy, but that was nothing compared to what Molly and Bill looked like.

"Can we see them?" Bill asked quickly as Dominique clambered into his lap. Louis had migrated to his favourite uncle, George. That worried Fleur more than just a little. Victoire was being held by her grandmother.

"Not just yet," Harry said, "We have to tell Percy first," Fleur and Bill both nodded, understanding Harry's reason.

"Well then, let's get going. The quicker we see Perce, the quicker we can see Fred, Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon," Bill said as he stood, holding Domique. Everyone else in the room nodded and they all disapparated, George holding Louis and Molly holding Victoire.

Percy Weasley sat in his favourite lounge chair watching his children play with his wife, Audrey. Percy would have been on the floor playing with them as well but he was very deep in thought, as many others were. Being the day it was he was thinking about the war. In particular, the way he acted and Fred.

Percy had been a complete fool early on in the war. He chose his ambitions over his own family. In doing this he, and a lot of other Ministry officials including Cornelius Fudge, extended the war by a good year. But what Percy felt really bad about was that there was no doubt in his mind at the time that Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore were lying about Voldemort's return. He should have known better. He had known Harry for four years, and had Dumbledore for a Headmaster for seven. He knew that they were both extremely trustworthy, if a bit reckless.

It all hit home about the time Dumbledore was killed. It was then he realised how bad his actions truly were. When the Ministry announced the return of Voldemort he just figured that Dumbledore would work out a plan of his own and Voldemort would be defeated by him. But that was not to be. When Dumbledore died, Percy became _very_ worried. Surprisingly not for himself, but for his family.

As it turned out, Percy's worries were fulfilled. Almost a year after Dumbledore's death, Percy finally made peace with his family. As a result of him turning up to fight, Fred was killed. No matter what anyone said to the contrary, Percy got Fred killed. Percy was the distraction because he was the outcast returning. If only he had not gone to Hogwarts, Fred might still be alive.

_If only_, Percy thought bitterly. Those words had gone through his head many times over the years. If only he hadn't gone to Hogwarts. If only he had returned to his family earlier. If only he believed Harry and Dumbledore. If only he didn't desert his family. If only he never worked for Fudge. These thoughts were just some that went through his head.

All of a sudden, the wards chimed indicating someone was knocking. Audrey began to get up from playing with Molly and Lucy but Percy waved her down. A House Elf could have answered the door for them but Audrey was very against the slavery of House Elves and no matter how much Percy told her about them, she was still very against it.

Percy was pleasantly surprised when he opened the door to see almost his entire family standing there. The first thing he noticed was that there were a lot of smiles on their faces. Even his mother's. "Why are you all smiling?" Percy asked and got broader smiles in response.

"How about we wait until we can tell both you and Audrey together?" His father asked. Percy nodded and invited them all in, kissing the women and shaking the hands of the men.

They all made their way to the sitting room where Audrey and the two girls greeted them. Afterwards, Harry conjured some more chairs for everyone to sit in and they all sat. Harry looked right to Percy.

"Have you ever heard of Yargly?" He asked. Instantly Percy's brain went into overdrive. Of course he had heard of Yargly. He was practically a legend. Then he was told the story of what had happened just a while before. While he was very taken aback at the implications that this had on the magical world, he could see that they were not lying.

Even though Audrey had not been hit by the war at all, she broke down in tears. Percy wanted to cry as well but didn't let himself as he asked whether they could see everyone.

"I think we could go back right now," Harry said looking very thoughtful, "Ginny and I won't be able to stay long, though, because we're going to take Colin to see Dennis. Then I have to see Aberforth, Parvati Patil, Susan Bones, Amos and Cordelia Diggory, Andromeda, Augusta Longbottom and Minerva."

"Wait," Ginny interjected, "Why do you have to see Parvati?" Harry then outlined to everyone what he wanted to do about the formal announcement and Hogwarts. Percy was surprised that Harry had thought that far ahead. In all the talk, Percy thought that Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, George and Angelina were hiding something about the retrievals. But for the life of him, Percy couldn't see what it could be.

Percy then asked about Rufus Scrimgeour. "No. I don't think we should get him," Harry replied, "For one, he was Minister For Magic so he was already a target. Everyone else weren't targets with the possible exception of Amelia and Albus. Secondly, he had no family of his own, so there is no real reason to bring him back."

Percy didn't quite think that Harry was being fair, but decided that it was Harry's call to make and left it at that. Percy and Audrey were then told of the security precautions to take with the retrieved people. Afterwards, they all disapparated to Harry and Ginny's place, Percy holding Molly II and Audrey holding Lucy.

The instant his feet hit the floor, Harry turned to his wife. "I think we should just get moving, Gin," Harry wanted to be involved in the reunion but didn't want to waste time. Ginny nodded and the both walked away to the sound of Molly Weasley's sobs behind them.

Colin was very easy for them to find. He was playing with the kids, Regulus and Sirius. Harry's parents watched on with smiles on their faces and Severus was leaning on a wall nearby. Luckily this time Colin wasn't being attacked so it was easy for them to pull him aside.

"We're going to go and see Dennis," Harry said quietly. Colin's eyes filled with a slight sadness, "We both think it would be best if you come with us."

Colin nodded. "I just hope I can help him," Colin said morosely. Ginny gave him a hug and Harry put a hand on his shoulder.

"Just being there will help him, Colin," Harry said, "Now. Since you haven't been to Dennis' place before, I will Side-Along Apparate you. Ginny will follow behind," Colin nodded, "Take my arm."

Colin grabbed Harry's forearm and Harry instantly apparated away. When they arrived, Colin immediately let go and doubled over. "Don't worry Colin. Side-Along is worse than actual apparition."

Just then there was a pop behind them and Harry turned to see Ginny walking towards him. Harry then looked to the house. Actually, it was more like a flat than a house. Harry had placed a muggle notice-me-not charm on the front lawn that was keyed into apparition only, so muggles couldn't see apparition.

It was not a very well kept lawn, nor a very well kept house. Harry had seen it all before too many times, and it only got worse every time. Dennis was not coping very well at all.

Dennis Creevey was awakened from his drunken sleep as he heard two cracks from the outside of his house. He knew the cracks. Apparation. He was not expecting any visitors, let alone magical visitors. He had denounced the magical world years ago. Thirteen years ago to the day, actually. His drunken mind couldn't think of who it could be.

Dennis never normally got as drunk as he was. No. It was only because of the day. May the second. Oh, how it haunts him. Even with the copious amounts of alcohol, thoughts of Colin still went through his head. Colin. Hogwarts. Classes. Harry Potter. Ginny Potter. Professor Dumbledore. All of these images floated in and out of his mind, whether sober or drunk.

Dennis had never gotten over Colin's death. It was simply too difficult. It wasn't just his brother that died that day, but also his best friend. Colin may have had a lot of people who were friendly to him at Hogwarts, but Dennis did not. Colin was known for getting petrified in his first year. People knew him and liked him for that. Dennis had nothing. Sure, he fell in the lake getting to Hogwarts, but barely anyone knew about that. Colin was truly his only friend there.

Then there was Harry and Ginny Potter. Both of them had taken an interest in Dennis' well-being after the Final Battle. Even after Dennis' decision to live as a muggle. They came and checked on him at least once a month. In truth, their visits were all that Dennis lived for.

Dennis opened his eyes and found that everything was blurry and surprisingly bright. He groaned and pushed himself up off his dirty old couch. It was a great effort on his part to do this, but his mind was very one track at that point. As he stood he heard four fast raps at the front door. Dennis clumsily made his way to the front door, almost running through a wall in the process. When he opened it he saw Harry and Ginny standing there.

"Heeeeeeeyyyyyyyy!" Dennis shouted drunkenly as he put an arm around Harry's shoulders, "You should come inside. I know that mess is messy but it's okay though," Dennis was certain that was what he meant. He pulled Harry inside and Ginny soon followed, "I wasn' expectin' ya! Shoulda rang me up!" Dennis said loudly as he curled up into a ball on his couch. Just then he felt Harry grab his chin, open his jaw and pour a foul-tasting potion down his throat. Instantly, Dennis became aware of what was going on.

"Feel better now?" Harry asked Dennis.

"Yeah. Thanks," Dennis replied, rubbing his temples slightly. He stood and made his way to his bathroom where he found a mirror. What he saw didn't particularly surprise him. There stood Dennis Creevey. Short, blonde-haired with a lot of stubble around his face. He had bags under his eyes and looked about ten years older than he should. His hair still looked the same as it did thirteen years ago, though. He brushed his teeth to get rid of the smell of alcohol and the potion on his breath and made his way back into his living room.

When he got there he stood in the doorway, frozen to the spot. There, in front of him, stood Colin. Alive and well and not a day older than when Dennis had last seen him. Colin had a broad smile on his face. Dennis looked tearily towards Harry and Gnny who were smiling at him. Dennis broke down. He engulfed his brother in a massive hug, while crying on his shoulder.

This lasted five minutes before Dennis let go and looked to Harry and Ginny. "How?" Was all Dennis asked. Harry smiled and told him the whole story. Dennis couldn't believe it was really happening. One of the main reasons he left the magical world was because they couldn't bring Colin back and now he had him back. For the first time in thirteen years he opened up the drawer containing a box which held his wand.

He looked at it in awe and finally came to a conclusion. "I-I want to go back. To the magical world."

Colin hugged him this time and Dennis felt the happiest he had ever felt. "That's great Dennis!" Colin exclaimed, "Are you going to go back to Hogwarts to finish your education?"

Dennis was surprised. "Can I?" He asked Harry and Ginny who both chuckled.

"If you're worried about your age, one aspect of the staff is that it can de-age you. We can make you the same age as you were when Colin died. That way there is nothing stopping you from going to Hogwarts," Harry replied. Dennis felt something inside him that he hadn't felt in years. Happiness.

"Uh...Dennis?" Colin asked tentatively, "What happened to our parents?"

Dennis flinched. He didn't like to be the bearer of bad news, particularly to his own brother. Apparently Harry caught the flinch because he seemed to look down at the floor, knowing what was coming next. "Uh...well...I was told about three weeks ago that they died in a car crash..." Dennis trailed off as Colin started to cry. Harry put an arm around Colin as he cried silently, mourning the parents he apparently knew just a while ago.

Dennis felt terrible. He didn't even attend his parents' funeral because he didn't think he could take it. He just did what he normally did. Drank. When Colin settled down, he looked to Harry. "Don't worry, Harry. I know that you can't go and get them," Colin said quietly, wiping his eyes, "You said no one who wasn't killed because of the wars."

"But –" Harry said before being cut off by Colin.

"No. No buts, Harry. I loved my parents and they loved me, but I won't ask you to go and get them when you already said that you wouldn't. I know what you were going to say. You got Dumbledore's sister because he wouldn't come otherwise and you got Luna's mum because she was the one who got the staff. Don't worry about it, Harry," Colin said fiercely. Dennis was listening intently to the sound of his brother's voice. He missed it more than he realised. Harry sighed and looked at Colin.

"Fine. If you're sure," Harry said.

"I'm sure. I just need a place to stay. Dennis too," Colin said thoughtfully, "I doubt he will want to stay here. I know I don't," Dennis shook his head as he felt the happiness again as Colin took charge.

"You can stay with us when you aren't at Hogwarts," Ginny said quickly. Colin and Dennis both gaped at her, "What? We have enough space and it's only for a couple of months a year."

Harry nodded. "I agree. Besides, I don't think I could let you stay anywhere else," He said with a chuckle. Dennis watched as Colin ran forward and gave Harry a hug. Dennis would have done the same thing but he simply put out his hand and muttered his thanks, "Well then, I doubt any of your clothes now will fit your fourteen year old body, so we can get you some later," Dennis nodded, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Well, let's go then," Colin said cheerfully. Once again, Dennis was happy that his brother was there with him.

"Alright. I'll take Dennis and Ginny will take Colin, this time," Harry said as Ginny and Colin nodded. Dennis knew that they were talking about side-along apparition but he had never experienced it before. Harry told him to grab his arm, which Dennis did reluctantly. He then realised that he was happy to not have felt that sensation before.

After telling Ginny and Colin to introduce Dennis around the room and to get Luna to de-age Dennis, he went looking for Albus and Ariana. He knew that Aberforth would want to see Ariana and Albus alive again, despite his disdain for his brother.

He found the still younger looking Albus chatting with Amelia, Remus, Tonks and Moody with Ariana right by his side. Harry didn't know what they were talking about, but he didn't have time to worry about it.

"Albus, can I see you for a moment?" Harry asked. This caused Ariana to look back at him and smile before walking towards him and hugging him. As Harry hugged her back, Albus looked on with a smile.

"Yes, Harry? What can I do for you?" The older wizard asked.

"I think we should go and tell Aberforth about this," Harry said. He saw Albus' eyes light up when he suggested this.

"Ah, so Aberforth is still alive then?" Albus asked happily. Harry nodded so Albus continued, "He must be one hundred and thirty-seven now. I always knew he would outlive me."

Ariana looked very excited. "Oh! I really wanna see Ab! Can we go now?" Harry and Albus both chuckled.

"Of course we can, Ariana," Harry said before looking to Albus, "He'll be at the Hog's Head. You can just side-along Ariana," Albus nodded before crouching down to look in Ariana's eyes.

"Now, we are going to use magic to get to Aberforth, okay?" Ariana nodded eagerly, "All you have to do is grab my arm. You will feel a bit strange when we get there, but it will go away quickly," With that, Albus stood and held out his arm. Ariana grasped it and they both disappeared with a crack. Harry then did the same, thinking of the Hog's Head pub.

Aberforth Dumbledore was feeling his age. He was one hundred and thirty-seven for Merlin's sake! His back ached, he got headaches often and he still had to work the bar. But he did enjoy having something to do with himself.

Aberforth had long sinced forgotten what day it was. He never really knew what day it was, much less the importance of any day. Something niggled in the back of his mind about the day, but he didn't care about it. It just wasn't important.

The pub was deserted so Aberforth decided to engage in his favourite pastime, even more so than his goats. He sat a stool in front of the painting of his sister, Ariana and started to talk. Ariana was a strange portrait. She would move, but she would never talk. This irritated Aberforth because he longed to hear his sister's voice again.

He had always blamed himself for Ariana's death. Even if he wasn't the one to cast the spell that hit her, he was still involved and if he wasn't she would probably not have died. That being said, he also blamed Grindlewald and Albus for her death as well. Over the years, he alternated, at least in his mind, who's curse actually hit Ariana. Some years it was himself, others it was Albus and others it was Grindlewald. At that point, however, he was not sure who he blamed. For some reason, he didn't feel like giving out blame any more. Albus was dead. Grindlewald was dead. Why would he blame anyone?

It was while he was talking to Ariana that he heard the two cracks outside his pub. He stood and moved the stool just as he heard three people enter. "I'll be right with you," Aberforth said gruffly. Just then he heard someone run towards him. Soon he felt arms around his waist.

"Aberforth!" Shouted a voice that made him cry. He looked down and saw the very face he was looking at not a moment earlier. Aberforth thought of himself as a tough man, but this was too much for him. He started to cry. It had been one hundred and twelve years since he had heard Ariana's beautiful voice.

He heard a sniffle behind him as well and looked up to see Albus standing beside Harry Potter. Albus was crying as well.

"Okay, Potter! How'd you do this?" Aberforth demanded, trying to sound gruff but failing. Then, Harry told him the full story. Aberforth was not surprised, much to Harry's surprise. Aberforth had been an Unspeakable before becoming the owner of the Hog's Head and was the leader of the group that was in charge of research on Yargly. He was laughed out of the Department of Mysteries when he suggested that Yargly may have actually done this very thing. It was a small thing to be proven right after one hundred years. He accepted the idea of the staff with open arms. He was told not to say anything about how anyone died and he agreed to this. Truth be told, he was actually looking forward to reading all about Harry Potter. When they decided to go back to Harry's house, Aberforth closed up and Albus side-alonged him while Harry took Ariana.

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**_Authors Note_**

**Not so long a wait this time. Would have been quicker but this last week was my last week of school ever and there was a lot on.**

**I know I promised a list of the readers, but I will have it up on the next chapter.**

**I would like to thank _hannibal221_, _Taeniaea_, _SokkasFirstFangirl_, _MaddeTheLover_ and _Shinigami_ for reviewing.**

_**hannibal221**_** - I see your point and I will take it into account. That was one of my thoughts.**

_**MaddeTheLover**_** - Here you go.**

_**Shinigami**_** - I'm still not sure about Myrtle. _hannibal221_ brought up a good point in Frank and Alice since they have no Grandchildren to dote on. Right now it's between them and Molly and Arthur. I was also considering Amelia as well. Ooh, I have plans for Petunia and her parents. It'll come in good time. As for your suggestions, I think they are all very good choices (I didn't even think of Broderick Bole) but at this stage I will leave the retrievals except for Tom Riddle. I think the McKinnons would be the only ones I would get out of the three choices there, but I don't particularly want to. I may give a reason when the are mentioned in the books.**

**Beletrium**

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**This chapter is only the first part of telling the rest. The next chapter will be Harry meeting with Susan Bones, Parvati Patil, Amos and Cordelia Diggory, Andromeda Tonks, Augusta Longbottom and Minerva McGonagall. Also, he will be telling everyone his intention to retrieve Tom Riddle.**

**What do you think? Were you able to dollow the story with the changes in perception? Did you like our portrayals of each person? We both really liked Fleur's thoughts in this chapter as well as Aberforth's. Drop us a review and let us know what you think.**

**Beletrium and Kuhal**


	9. Interlude: Telling The Rest 2

_**Disclaimer**_** - I do not intend any copyright infringement. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. This story is purely for the enjoyment of fanfiction readers and the author. There is not any money being made from this story, nor will there ever be any made.**

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_**Interlude: Telling The Rest 2**_

When they got to Harry's house, Harry made to leave to talk to Teddy but felt that Ariana had kept a firm grip. Harry turned around to see that the young girl had tears in her eyes. Harry knew that they were tears of joy because there was really nothing that the young girl could have possibly been upset or scared about at that point.

"Thank you, Harry," Ariana said softly. She then reached out for a hug and Harry obliged. Before they broke apart she gave Harry a kiss on the cheek.

"You're welcome, Ariana," Harry replied after she let him go, "Trust me when I say that just seeing you, and everyone here, happy makes me happier than I've ever been."

Ariana smiled at Harry before running to Aberforth and engulfing him in a fierce hug. The old man chuckled but had tears in his eyes as well. It was becoming quite obvious that the hardened old bartender was actually quite a softy. At least when it came to Ariana, though Harry knew it was warranted. Aberforth had lived with the thought that he could have been the one who killed Ariana for well over one hundred years. Harry couldn't even imagine what that would be like, carrying around that guilt for that long.

Another thing that was amazing was the change that Harry had seen in Ariana since retrieving her. She was still very shy around most people but she seemed to actually be a sweet young girl when she would talk to you. Harry was finding that he was actually growing quite attached to her.

It was because of this that Harry began to feel a slight resentment towards Albus. Not the man he knew but the young man who neglected his little sister to try and find what he must have believed was a myth in the Deathly Hallows. Ultimately, this led to Ariana's death. The thing that stopped Harry from feeling the same resentment towards the man he knew was the fact that he knew that he was wrong and suffered greatly for it.

Harry turned to find Teddy, who was actually very easy to find because he still had his hair a bubblegum pink colour. As did Tonks who was sitting right beside Teddy holding his hand. It really warmed Harry's heart to see his godson with his parents. While Harry now had his parents, it wasn't the same as Teddy having his.

Harry had made a life for himself without his parents. That's not to say he wasn't happy to have them in his life, because he definitely was. But he still wished they had been there when he was going through Hogwarts and earlier. Teddy got that. In a way, Harry was quite jealous of his godson. He just hoped that he wouldn't be forgotten in amongst everyone else.

As it turns out, he wasn't going to be. As soon as Teddy saw Harry he kept up off the chair he was sitting on and ran to hug Harry. It was even more powerful than the one that Teddy had given Harry earlier. As the hug went on, Harry could feel himself tear up. When Teddy let go he looked at Harry, no trace of embarrassment on his face.

"Dad and I were talking and he told me that whenever I'm home near the full moon I can stay with you!"

Harry looked to Remus who gave a nearly imperceptible nod. Harry noticed that Teddy was a lot more enthusiastic than usual. Almost like he was before he went to Hogwarts. Harry had to attribute it to getting his parents back. "That's fantastic mate!" Harry replied. "You know that you're always welcome here."

"I know. But I won't see you as much anymore," Teddy said and Harry was a little surprised that he sounded sad about the prospect. Harry then realised that he wasn't sad that he had his parents, more that he was sad that he wouldn't see Harry as much. It was understandable really. Harry, Andromeda and, to a point, Ginny were Teddy's parents during his childhood. He would find it hard to let that go

"We'll still see each other. Don't you worry about that," Harry said as Teddy smiled, "Now. I have something I want you to do with me."

"What's that?" Teddy asked curiously.

"I want you to come and help me tell your Grandmother what we've done today," Teddy's face lit up.

"Are we going to apparate?" Harry, Remus, Tonks and Ted all burst out laughing. Only a teenager could be more excited about apparating then telling his Grandmother that her husband and only daughter are alive. Teddy sent all of them angry looks but smiled right after.

"Yes, Teddy. We'll be apparating. Right now, in fact. Take my arm," Harry said, extending his arm which Teddy grabbed quickly. Harry spun on his heel and they disappeared with a crack.

Andromeda Tonks was hurting. That was all she could really describe it as. The day brought up painful memories for her. Ted. Nymphadora. Remus. Bellatrix. A lot of people may be confused about the last one. She never grieved Bellatrix's death. She grieved for what she became.

When Andromeda, Narcissa and Bellatrix were young they were immensely close. Andromeda was the middle child while Narcissa was the youngest. Narcissa looked up to both Bellatrix and Andromeda. Because of this, Andromeda strived to be the best possible big sister she could be. Bellatrix, on the other hand, did not seem to do so well at that. Bellatrix was often short with both Narcissa and Andromeda but there was no doubt that she loved both of her sisters.

Until Andromeda announced she was marrying muggle-born, Ted Tonks, that is. By that point, Bellatrix was a Death Eater, and proud of it, too. Andromeda was cast out, but before she left, she tried to reach out to Narcissa and get her to go with her away from the Black family. Narcissa was torn but was too frightened to leave her family. Despite her thoughts that it was a foolish decision, Andromeda understood and left without speaking to Narcissa again.

Andromeda often wondered how she came through the First Wizarding War unscathed. She, Ted and Nymphadora were never targeted by Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Over the years she came to the decision that it had to be because of Bellatrix. Bellatrix was in Voldemort's Inner Circle and had a lot of say in what Voldemort did or didn't do. Andromeda thought that Bellatrix must have asked Voldemort to spare her and Ted along with Nymphadora. It was the only logical decision.

But that led Andromeda to the question of 'why?'. Why did Bellatrix stop Voldemort from targeting them? Why did Bellatrix still care? It had to be because of their childhood together. Andromeda thought that there must have been some decency in her older sister. That was until she escaped from Azkaban.

Bellatrix was completely unstable after so long in the prison. That much was obvious to pretty much anyone. But when she returned to Voldemort, Bellatrix seemed to not care anymore. That scared Andromeda. Bellatrix turned from a killing machine into a soulless killing machine, and Andromeda knew there was a world of difference.

Andromeda stopped thinking those morbid thoughts almost instantly and moved to the kitchen to make herself a coffee. She had attended the memorial service at Hogwarts earlier that day and was able to spend some much needed time with Teddy. The day became a lot tougher to face without Teddy at home with her. Teddy was Andromeda's reason for living. There was really no other reason. On May the Second, every year until Teddy turned twelve, he helped her through the day. Andromeda wasn't even sure that she had seen him shed a tear on the day before, though she knew that he did, in the 'privacy' of his own room.

Despite what Teddy might think, Andromeda was well aware of Teddy's silent musings in his room. He cried. He turned his hair bubblegum pink in honour of his mother. He changed his appearance to look like a wolf in honour of his father. He did many things to do with his parents. And every time she caught glimpse of this, Andromeda's heart broke a little because there was absolutely nothing she, nor anyone else, could do about it. Sometimes she wondered if things would have been simpler if Harry and Ginny had raised Teddy and had him believe they were his parents.

_No!_ Andromeda's mind shouted. That was not what Remus wanted. Harry had told her all about the Resurrection Stone and what Remus had told him. That was not what Nymphadora would have wanted. Nymphadora loved her son like she loved nothing else in the world.

As she was thinking, she heard a crack in her front yard. Andromeda drew her wand very quickly. She, like everyone else on that particular day, was very cautious. She moved to the front of the house, her wand drawn, as someone knocked on the front door. Andromeda moved close and opened the latch on the front to see who it was. To her surprise she saw Harry and Teddy. She immediately lowered her wand because she saw that Teddy's hair was bubblegum pink, so he couldn't have been a Death Eater using polyjuice. _Wait!_ She thought, _Bubblegum pink? He never uses that in public._ Andromeda became suspicious that something was going on as she opened the door.

"What are you doing here?" She asked politely before looking at Teddy, "Especially you Teddy Lupin. Why aren't you at Hogwarts?" Teddy smiled in response which unnerved Andromeda. How could he possibly be smiling. Teddy then kissed her on the cheek.

"You may want to be sitting for what we're about to tell you Gran," Teddy said happily. Andromeda looked to Harry who was smiling just as broadly as his godson. Andromeda then thought that sitting down was a good idea. Harry would _never_ smile on this day unless there was good reason. She motioned them into the sitting room before sitting in a recliner while Harry and Teddy took the couch. Teddy sat closest to her. He looked very excited about something.

"How about you start with why you are not at Hogwarts young man?" Andromeda scolded. Harry put up his hand.

"My fault, Dromeda. I went and got him," He said, the smile not leaving his face.

"What reason could you have for getting Teddy away from school?" Andromeda asked in an accusatory tone. Harry's smile broadened.

"Oh...this and that," He replied cryptically. Andromeda had become very close to Harry since the end of the war but sometimes he infuriated her. She was about to get angry at him when she noticed that Teddy was practically bursting with excitement next to him. Andromeda sighed.

"All right, Teddy. Out with it then," She said exasperatedly.

"Mum, Dad and Grandpa are alive!" Teddy shouted in excitement. Andromeda's heart skipped about ten beats before she put a frown on her face.

"That is not something to joke about, Teddy Lupin. You should know better than that, Harry Potter," Andromeda was angry to say the very least. But the smiles never left their faces.

"He's not joking Dromeda. Ted, Remus and Tonks are all at my house right now. Along with about twenty or so other people that you might like to reacquaint yourself with," Harry replied happily. Andromeda realised then that it wasn't a joke. They were serious.

"Wait...You're serious?" She received two very quick nods, "B-but how? When?" Teddy was about to answer but Harry put a hand on the boys forearm.

"I think I can explain it better than you can, Teddy," Teddy nodded his assent so Harry turned to Andromeda and told her the story of Yargly and the staff. Andromeda had heard of Yargly before. In fact, she did an essay on him for History of Magic in her fifth year. Even so, she was amazed at what Harry was telling her, with occasional input from a very excited Teddy. When Harry finally got through the list of all the people they had retrieved, Andromeda looked straight into his gleaming emerald green eyes.

"We are leaving now," Andromeda had never been as authoritive as she was at that moment. Harry and Teddy simply laughed but Andromeda didn't lose the slightest bit of fire in her eyes.

"Okay then," Harry said cheerfully, "I'll take Teddy and you follow, okay?" Andromeda nodded solidly as Harry stood and grabbed Teddy's arm and promptly disappeared with a crack. Before Andromeda left one thought went through her mind. How did her day get so good? With that she turned on her heel and disappeared with a crack.

When they arrived back, Harrr felt Teddy leave hiss arm and run straight for his parents. A few seconds later, Andromeda appeared right beside Harry. The first sight she saw was Tonks hugging Teddy with Remus and Ted looking on. Harry saw her eyes fill with tears as she ran straight to Ted. She gave him a massive hug and Ted gave her one back. She then moved on to Tonks and then Remus. It was really touching, because Harry knew what Andromeda had gone through. Between the two wars, Andromeda lost everything and now she had a lot of it back. Harry felt extremely happy that he could help her in such a way.

Harry then silently went through the list of people they still needed to talk to. He wondered whether Neville and Hannah had gone to see Augusta yet. He decided he would go and ask them before he went anywhere else. He didn't have to search for too long as he found them talking to Colin and Dennis near where the kids were playing. Apparently, someone had taken Dennis to Luna as he was de-aged to his younger self. The same age he would have been when Colin died. At this point, Sirius and Harry's father were in their animagus forms and were entertaining the kids. It warmed Harry's heart to see Padfoot and Prongs together. It also renewed his thoughts about becoming an animagus.

"Hey guys," Harry said to the group who were watching the animals intently.

"Hey Harry," They all said as one. It reminded Harry vaguely of an old muggle television show that he had been watching re-runs of, _Cheers_. He chuckled at the thought. As soon as he had his own house, Harry bought a muggle television. He had always wanted one since he couldn't watch it very much at the Dursleys'. Plus it was good to keep the kids entertained.

Ginny had protested, but Harry took the matter higher...to Arthur Weasley. There was no way that Arthur would agree with Ginny so she relented and Harry brought one. Arthur was at their house a suspicious amount of time that month. The interesting thing was that some magical researchers had turned their efforts to recreating the television for the magical population. They were very nearly done at that point. Harry turned to Neville and Hannah.

"Have you two been to see Augusta yet?" He asked as he saw Neville and Hannah look at each other, looking rather embarrassed.

"Damn," They both said in unison. Harry couldn't help but laugh. The two were suited in that respect. Both of them were extremely forgetful, "We'll go now," Hannah said.

"Nice to talk to you two again," Neville said to Colin and Dennis before grabbing Hannah's hand and disapparating.

Augusta Longbottom was sitting in her very large manor, sipping a cup of tea that one of her House Elves had brought her. She was not really brooding too much on the day. For her, it was almost a day of triumph. Voldemort was defeated. Neville became a man. And Augusta caught two Death Eaters. Not bad for an old woman.

In actual fact, Augusta was brooding on something that had been plaguing her mind in the last few years. Neville and Hannah still had not produced a child. There was no one to continue the Longbottom line. It was a disaster!

The two had been married for eight years. Eight years without a child to show for it! Harry and Ginny Potter had their first child three years in. And they had two others as well! Augusta could only shake her head. How could they go eight years without a child?

These thoughts were not really because of the idea that the Longbottom family line could end with Neville. It was actually more to do with the fact that Augusta had never really had the chance to be a Grandmother. She had gone from being a mother to being a grandmother for only a bit over a year before having to step into the role of mother again. Augusta just wanted a grandchild to spoil and Neville and Hannah were her only chance to have that.

When Augusta thought about Neville, she no longer thought of him as she did when he was a child or even in his early years of Hogwarts. During Neville's fifth year, Augusta started to become immensely proud of her grandson. He had joined a group against the toad and gone on a mission to the Department of Mysteries where he fought against Death Eaters, including Bellatrix Lestrange. And from there, Neville became better and better, even getting so good as to become a fully fledged auror. It was safe to say that Augusta thought that she had done a good job.

When Augusta thought about the Final Battle, she did not weep, nor feel negative emotion, really. She thought about Neville fighting and how much he did for the cause. She thought about how he had fought beside her for quite a while during the battle. But she also thought about Bellatrix Lestrange's demise.

Augusta was extremely pleased that Bellatrix was killed but she was more than a little annoyed that neither she, nor Neville, got to do it. She thought that they had the most cause to. Though she really couldn't fault Molly Weasley for doing what she did. Lestrange was taunting her about her dead son, after all. But what had surprised Augusta was how Molly held her own and defeated Lestrange, who was said to be the greatest witch of her age. Not much really surprised Augusta by that point, hell even Voldemort's return didn't really shock her, but Molly did.

Augusta lifted her cup to her lips and took a sip before she heard a slight pop in front of her indicating that one of her House Elves needed to speak to her.

"Yes, Runky?" August asked, her voice prim and proper. The elf looked at her with his big eyes before speaking in the normal, high-pitched voice.

"Mistress has visitors. Mistress' Neville and Hannah need to see Mistress," The elf said rather quickly. Augusta sat forward and placed her cup on the small, knee-high table in front of her.

"Bring them in, Runky," As soon as she finished speaking, the elf had disappeared with a pop. Within seconds, the elf appeared again, this time with Neville and Hannah each holding a hand. Neville walked forward and embraced Augusta, which he very rarely did, due to Augusta not really allowing him to. This immediately aroused Augusta's suspicions.

"You're pregnant aren't you?" She asked, looking at Hannah, whose face fell almost instantly, not unlike a dog who had just been scolded.

"No, Gran, but –" Neville began before Augusta cut him off.

"Why, might I ask, have you not had a child yet?" Augusta asked, her voice not really raising, but her tone becoming severe.

"It just hasn't happened," Hannah said quickly, blushing, "But –"

"The House of Longbottom _needs_ an heir," Augusta insisted, her voice raising slightly, "Neville, you should try harder," That comment made both Neville and Hannah's faces grow bright red and made them avert their eyes from Augusta's gaze. Neville mumbled something that sounded to Augusta very much like 'we are' before looking at her.

"We didn't really come here for a lecture Gran," Neville said with slight exasperation, "We just have news that we thought you should know?"

"More important than an heir to the House of Longbottom?" Augusta asked immediately, "I think not!"

"No, Augusta, it really is more important –"

"Nothing is more important right now! It has been eight years. Eight years! In my day, you had a child immediately, not waited until you start going senile," Augusta then took a breath which Neville took advantage of.

"Mum and Dad are alive," Neville said loudly. Augusta stopped talking immediately and all thought left her brain for a few seconds. But soon she was able to close her jaw again before talking.

"Preposterous, Neville! What gave you that idea?" Augusta asked, feeling quite angry at her grandson for being so foolish to actually believe that his parents were alive.

"Have you ever heard of Yargly, Gran?" Again, Augusta stopped in her tracks. She had indeed heard of Yargly. She knew of all of his exploits, particularly in the realms of universe and time travel. But he was long dead.

"Yargly is dead, Neville," Augusta said with less conviction then she had before. Truth be told, when Neville mentioned that name, she felt some hope inside her that she hadn't felt since Frank and Alice died. She watched in surprise when Neville and Hannah shook their heads in tandem. The two of them then proceeded to explain to Augusta exactly what they had been up to. As they spoke, all traces of the thoughts of mere minutes before, left Augusta's mind. For the first time in many years, she felt giddy.

"You mean to tell me that you all went and got everyone who you knew that were killed in the past two wars, including Frank and Alice?" Augusta asked, looking for an answer that she already knew.

"Yes," Hannah replied, "They are all at Harry's house. We have a plan to tell them all what happened in the last war," Hannah and Neville then went on to describe their plan with the books. Augusta had to admit that she was quite interested in reading these books. She knew the basics of what had happened in Harry Potter's time at Hogwarts, but did not know the full extent. It would be interesting to hear about all of it, particularly his sixth year and above. Augusta also got the security report about not mentioning anything to anyone who did not already know. Augusta knew how to keep secrets. She probably knew more about a lot of people in the wizarding world than anyone else, but was not a gossip, so kept it all to herself.

They all decided it was best to leave immediately and Augusta could not remember the last time she felt what she was feeling. Her son and his wife, someone she considered a child of her own, were alive again and not in the horrible existence they shared before. They were sane again. Augusta simply couldn't wait to see them. Since Augusta had not been to the Potter household before, Neville side-along apparated her there while Hannah went on her own. They disappeared with a crack leaving a shocked House Elf to dispose of the forgotten tea.

After Neville and Hannah disapparated away to see Augusta, Harry talked with Colin and Dennis for a while.

"I really like your place, Harry," Dennis said. Harry was still getting used to the younger Dennis because of all the time he had spent for years talking to a broken man. It seemed that he was no longer broken.

"So do I," Colin agreed.

"That's good to know seeing as how you'll be living here," Harry replied with a laugh, "Speaking of, I'll talk to Professor McGonagall later. You will probably both stay here until September the First and then you'll go back to Hogwarts. Colin, you'll probably start at sixth year and Dennis, you'll likely start your fourth."

"Sounds good," Dennis said. Harry wondered whether Dennis would ever go back to the way he was and be the most overexcited kid he knew.

"Yeah. We can't thank you enough for letting us stay here, Harry," Colin said sounding excited. Harry waved a hand.

"You're one of my friends, Colin. You too Dennis. It's the least Ginny and I can do for you," Harry then smirked, "Besides, we could use some babysitters. I mean, when Tom gets here we'll have four young kids running around. Ginny and I will need all the help we can get..." Harry trailed off as he realised what he'd just let slip.

"Who's Tom?" Colin asked curiously. Harry would have cursed himself if he wouldn't have drawn attention to himself with it.

"Damn. Wait here and don't mention this to anyone," Harry looked around and made sure no one else had heard as he made his way to the Weasleys.

When he got there he had to endure a Molly Weasley hug and many handshakes before he could ask to see Ron, Hermione, George, Angelina and Ginny.

"What's this about, Harry?" Angelina asked worriedly, seeing the look on Harry's face.

"I let slip the name of the final retrieval to Colin and Dennis. Only the first name, but now they're curious so I'm just going to tell them," Harry said quietly and quickly.

"I'll come with you," Ginny said quickly.

"So will I," Hermione said.

"I'll come too. I'd like to talk to people who don't have red hair for a while," Angelina joked before frowning, "Oh, Merlin. I'm turning into George!" Everyone laughed at that comment before Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Angelina left.

Colin and Dennis seemed to have taken Harry's words to heart and had not moved an inch. As Harry approached with the three women, Dennis and Colin shared a glance.

"Where to ladies?" Harry asked as they approached.

"Let's take them to the study," Ginny suggested as Harry nodded. The study was warded quite a bit because often Harry had auror things to do that he needed peace for. There were some days that Harry even wondered why he was an auror.

The job didn't turn out to be exactly as Harry had expected. There was actually a lot of paperwork that had to be completed as well as work 'in the field'. He would often bring the paperwork home to complete which cut into his time with his family. There were also the times that he was away for days on end without contact with Ginny or the kids.

He found that he was missing a lot of firsts with the kids because of it which was getting to be very annoying. Harry didn't think that he was that kind of parent and husband but he did it out of a sense of duty to the magical world. That said, Ginny and his kids were his first priority in life, but his job made that extremely difficult at times.

Plus, in the last year or so, Harry had been finding the job a little unfulfilling at times. There was very little to actually do because most of the fuss following Voldemort had died down and there was only the occasional attack which was by people who were easily taken down. It was becoming more and more frequent that Harry thought back to Dumbledore's Army and how it felt to teach everyone there and how fulfilling it was to see someone getting better at something.

Harry's musings were derailed by Ginny opening the door to the study. Colin and Dennis were looking very confused by this point. As she shut the door, Angelina put an extra silencing charm around the room just in case.

"What's all this about?" Colin asked nervously as he looked between Angelina, Hermione and Ginny.

"I let something slip to you two that I shouldn't have," Harry replied, wanting to get to the point.

"About what?" Dennis asked, "That 'Tom' guy you mentioned?" Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Angelina all nodded.

"Yes. We all wanted to keep that a secret between just us," Hermione said, "But Harry let it slip so you may as well know."

"Actually," Angelina said with a thoughtful look on her face, "Harry must really trust you two. He's kept it secret from everyone else," Harry knew that she was probably right. After the downfall of Voldemort, Angelina decided to follow her mother's footsteps and become a psychiatrist. She trained for a few years before finally opening her own practice in muggle London that also had a magical entrance in Diagon Alley. Harry had actually helped her finance it, not unlike what he had done for Fred and George after the Triwizard Tournament.

Angelina was the first ever magical psychiatrist to even think of using legilimency on her patients. She had even obtained approval from Kingsley Shacklebolt to do so. She asked permission of her magical patients and used a form of legilimency that was not as invasive on the muggles. She was becoming rather well respected within the psychiatry community.

Colin beamed at Harry while Dennis gave him a small smile. They were both obviously pleased at that assessment. "But why all the secrecy?"

"You two trust us, don't you?" Colin and Dennis both nodded fervently.

"Of course we do, Harry," Colin replied for both of them.

"We still have one retrieval to go," Harry said.

"I thought you must have been finished because you're telling everyone else," Dennis said.

"Yes, well, we want everyone that will be affected to be here when we tell them," Ginny replied. Colin and Dennis both looked confused.

"Affected? What do you mean by that?" Colin asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Who we're going to get probably won't be popular at first," Angelina said,

"Guys," Harry looked at Colin and Dennis seriously, "We're going to retrieve Tom Riddle," Immediately both boys looked shocked.

"WHAT?" They shouted in tandem. Harry was glad that the room was warded so well. Dennis was the first to recover.

"Tom Riddle? As in Voldemort?" He asked, obviously hoping that there was another Tom Riddle involved.

"Why?" Colin asked sounding worried.

"Maybe I should have been clearer. We're going to get a seven year old Tom Riddle, not the one that terrorized Britain," Harry regretted not saying that to begin with. Good practice, he supposed, "I can't tell you too much about his childhood because you'll find out through the books but I can tell you that at seven, Tom Riddle was not evil in any sense of the word."

Colin and Dennis looked at each other for a few seconds before looking back at Harry. "I trust your decisions," Colin finally said.

"Me too," Dennis agreed.

"Thank you," Harry said happily.

"But," Hermione interjected, "You can't tell anyone else. The only people that know are us in this room, Ron, George, Neville, Hannah and Luna."

Colin and Dennis nodded their assent as Ginny opened the door to the study once more to let everyone out. Angelina cancelled her charm as she left and they all made their way downstairs. As they went downstairs, Harry caught sight of Albus and something clicked in his head.

When Harry talked to Albus' portrait in the Headmistress' office, he had said that he had very little knowledge about Yargly, but yet there were others who knew quite a bit. How could that be possible? Harry decided he needed to talk to Albus to clear this up.

When he got to the man, Harry pulled him aside fairly easily this time because Ariana was with Aberforth. Albus smiled at Harry when he saw him. "What can I do for you, Harry?"

"II just realised something, Albus," Harry said thoughtfully, "Before we went to get you, I had a chat with your portrait –" Harry was then cut off by a chuckling Albus.

"I must admit, I look forward to the intriguing conversation I will have with my own portrait," He chuckled again and Harry even found himself laughing as well. It was a rather absurd thought, "But I have interrupted you. Go on, Harry."

"When I talked to your portrait, I asked you what you knew about Yargly and you said that you didn't know much at all, only that he was adept at memory charms, which he was. But since then there have been other people who have known quite a bit about him. Why didn't you know much?" Harry asked curiously.

"Alas, I am not really a 'history buff' as it were," Albus smiled, "I really only glossed over information. Yargly was not someone I focused on. I think that some other pureblood families would have more information because of access to other books on the subject."

Harry nodded in understanding. "I understand now, Albus. I guess it's just hard to think that there is something that you don't know."

"That happens all too often," Albus replied solemnly but with a smile, "I tend to be thought of as 'all knowing' which I freely admit to anyone who asks, that I am not. I am, after all, only human."

"Thank you, Albus. If you'll excuse me, I just have a few inquiries to make," Harry said as Albus nodded and turned back to his conversation.

Harry decided to find Cedric and talk to him about his parents. Amos Diggory had gone on to be the Head of International Magical Cooperation after the downfall of Voldemort. Whenever Harry saw him, Amos shook Harry's hand and exchanged pleasantries but never really held a conversation. Harry knew that Amos blamed Harry for Cedric's death, even if it was subconsciously. Cedric was the man's whole life and Amos had lost him while Harry had survived. Amos was pleased when Cedric was honoured as the first loss of the Second Wizarding War but the excitement wore off.

Cordelia Diggory had been affected worse. She had gone into a state of shock for many years that she only really got over after Voldemort was killed. Harry felt bad for her because she, not like her husband, conversed with Harry fairly often. Actually, she seemed to talk a lot to Fleur and Viktor as well. Harry understood why she did this. He, Viktor and Fleur were assumed to be Cedric's equal because of the Triwizard Tournament. In a way, she saw the three as...well...not replacements for Cedric but more as people like him. Harry was also aware that she talked with Cho very often after the war.

Harry found Cho and Cedric talking to Frank, Alice and Felula. Harry was glad that Cedric was keeping away from Moody. Moody was rough enough to ruin the plans and tell Cedric that he never actually taught him.

"Cedric, can I have a word?" Cedric nodded and stepped away to talk to Harry.

"Yes, Harry?" Cedric asked.

"I think I'll go to talk to your parents and bring them here. Actually, Cho should probably come with me. Maybe Fleur too," Cedric raised an eyebrow to which Harry responded and told him what had happened to his parents after his death. Cedric nodded.

"I think that's probably best. I wouldn't want to give them too much of a shock by just turning up alive," Cedric said with a smile, "Thank you, Harry. I'll tell Cho."

Cedric went back and began to talk to Cho. Harry waited patiently until Cho came to him. "Harry. I never got the chance to say thank you for getting Cedric," Cho was smiling like Harry hadn't seen her smile since Cedric had been killed, "You know better than anyone else how his death affected me."

"Cedric was one of the first people I thought of," Harry told her, "He deserved to be brought here maybe more than anyone else. It wasn't really his actions that got him killed. He was just being a friend," Harry and Cho both put on slightly solemn looks before Harry smiled, "Let's go get Fleur and we can head to the Diggorys. Amos had the day off today, right?"

"He always does on this day...and the 24th of June," Cho looked at the ground slightly. There was a few seconds pause before Cho looked up, "Where's Fleur then?"

It didn't take Harry long to locate the One Quarter-Veela beauty. She was standing with the Weasley family right next to Bill. Her kids were standing around her with broad smiles on their faces. They were obviously happy because of Fred.

"Sorry to interrupt," Harry said. All of the Weasley clan turned to face him, "But Cho and I need a word with Fleur," Fleur raised her eyebrows slightly before she had a look of comprehension on her face. Despite her obvious beauty, Fleur was not stupid at all. Actually, Harry had thought on more than one occasion that her intelligence could actually rival Hermione's. It never took Fleur very long to grasp onto any concept.

Harry and Fleur had grown close over the years. Fleur was becoming to him what Hermione already was. A sister. He figured that she liked Harry because he had always seemed to be immune to her Veela charm somehow. She had informed him one day when she had brought Victoire over to play with Teddy while Harry had him that she had become something of a bookworm in her time at Beauxbatons because no one would leave her alone. The boys were always drooling over her and the girls hated her because of it.

Fleur had informed Harry that Veela don't have total control over their abilities. They do to an extent but some people were still affected. She was proud of her heritage but sometimes she thought of it as a curse. But she had become very smart because of her being an outcast so she didn't think of it all as a waste. She had told Harry that she was happy that her kids were only going to be One Eighth-Veela. It would be easier for them to control and it wouldn't be as powerful.

It was very interesting when Louis was born because male offspring of Veela heritage are extremely rare. Full Veela never have male children and neither do Half-Veela and only about one in every five hundred children from a One Quarter-Veela parent are male. It was because of this that Fleur thought that he might not have any Veela traits, he had obviously inherited some. In fact, the only Weasley trait he inherited from the Weasleys was the red hair, which his two sisters had not inherited. Harry and Fleur had both agreed that he was going to be very popular with the girls when he grew up. Though he was only eight, it was obvious that he was going to turn out to be a good looking young man.

"We are going to talk to Amos and Cordelia?" Fleur stated more than she inquired, "I have not seen Cedric, though I figured you would retrieve him," Over the last thirteen years Fleur's English became a lot better. There was still the French accent but she could pronounce words better. Harry nodded.

"Yes. I think you should go and see him when we get back," Fleur nodded in understanding, "But we do need to go and talk to his parents. I figured it would be best if we go and not him."

"I agree, Harry," Fleur replied, "Cordelia would likely die of shock if Cedric simply walked through their door."

"I'm not so sure," Cho interjected, "She's always said to me that she often waits for him to walk through the door. I think she's been in denial for many, many years," Harry and Fleur both nodded sadly. They, too had noticed this about Cordelia.

"Well, let's go then. We all know where they live, so that's no problem," Harry said. The two women nodded and all three apparated away.

Cho Chang apparated to the all too familiar surroundings of the Diggory home near Ottery St. Catchpole and felt the same feeling that she felt every time she was at the house. She could never accurately explain the feeling, though she often tried to by saying it was a mixture of guilt, sadness and happiness. She never liked to have this feeling because it meant that she had never really gotten over Cedric's death. Though it didn't last very long this time, because she started to feel excited, anxious and even a little giddy.

Not for a lack of trying. She tried to date other guys, but none of them stacked up, really. Cedric was her one true love. Though he was one of the shortest, Harry Potter probably came closest to actually being her next love, but she ruined it. She was being utterly jealous because Harry had to see Hermione Granger. At the time, she felt that it was selfish of Harry to do so, but she later learned that he was actually seeing her to try and get his own name back in the good books with the press. She felt rather foolish after that. And then there was the fact that she kept trying to talk about Cedric. She was still in love with him, but Harry obviously didn't understand that, though she could see, upon reflection, why he wouldn't talk about him.

After dating a few others over the years she finally married a muggle man by the name of Hayden Jacobson. The marriage did not last long because she realised, after about six months, that she didn't love him and she was really only married because her parents had told her off for not being married. She hadn't even told Hayden that she was a witch. She left him and changed her name back to Chang and didn't even date for a few years.

And then, on the anniversary of the downfall of Voldemort, Ginny Potter turns up to her house telling her that Cedric was waiting for her at the Potter household. Part of Cho wanted to slap Ginny for being so insensitive, but there was also part of her that believed every word the red-head had told her. She decided to slap Ginny later if necessary and went with her to her house. From there, Cho regained the happiness she lost so many years ago.

Cho watched as Harry walked towards the front door of the house and knocked, feeling slightly nervous. She knew that it was silly to be nervous, really. Cordelia and Amos were fair people so they would at least listen to what they had to say. And having her, Harry _and_ Fleur there would make them feel more trusting of what they were saying.

The door opened to reveal Cordelia Diggory. She looked as she had always looked after Cedric's death. Neutral. She never showed very much emotion outwardly. Strangely, it was actually Amos who showed his emotions. But at the sight of Harry, Fleur and Cho, Cordelia actually looked surprised.

"What are you three doing here?" She asked.

"We have some news to discuss with you and Amos," Harry replied.

"News?" Cordelia asked sceptically.

"Good news Cordelia," Cho assured her. The older woman's face softened slightly.

"May we come in?" Fleur asked politely.

"Oh. Of course. Of course," Cordelia replied, opening the door and standing aside to let the three inside, "Amos is in the dining room."

"I hope that we haven't interrupted anything," Cho said worryingly.

"Not at all," Cordelia replied, "Amos and I were just having a few drinks," Cho knew that the two were not heavy drinkers so they would be sober enough to not require a potion. As they entered the dining room, Amos looked up from his drink at the table. He smiled as he saw who it was.

"Well, it's nice to see all of you," He said happily, "But what are you here for?"

"They say they have some good news, Amos," Cordelia replied. Amos' eyes had a slight sparkle for a few seconds.

"Really? That's intriguing," Amos commented, scratching his chin, "Please, all of you have a seat."

Cho, Harry and Fleur all did as instructed. They were all offered drinks and all politely refused. Cho had never liked alcohol all that much and didn't drink very often. She knew that the same was for Harry, though Fleur liked to have some wine occasionally.

"So, what is this all about?" Cordelia asked with a hopeful gleam in her eye. For once that gleam didn't sadden Cho because she actually could give Cordelia what she wanted.

"Let me start by asking whether either of you two have ever heard of Yargly?" Harry asked. Cordelia and Amos looked at each other in confusion.

"Can't say that I have," Amos replied thoughtfully.

"Me neither," Cordelia said.

Harry then told them about Yargly, what he accomplished and how they came to possess his staff. This all made Cordelia and Amos confused. "What does this have to do with us?"

"I'll take this one, Harry," Cho said quickly. She wanted to be the one to tell them about Cedric. She turned to Cordelia and Amos with a smile, "As you know, the staff can allow the wielder to travel across universes and through time. Well, Harry, Luna and a group of his friends decided to use this to retrieve some of the people who had died in the last war," Cordelia gasped and started crying on Amos' shoulder while Amos stared at Cho unblinkingly, "They got Cedric back."

Cordelia then flew out of her chair and hugged all three of them in succession. Amos was a little different. He looked to Fleur. "Is what they are saying true?"

Fleur nodded. "Yes, Amos. They've also retrieved my brother-in-law, Fred, as well as a lot of other people as well. They are all waiting at Harry's house," It was with this confirmation that Amos' jaw dropped.

"When can we go?" Cordelia asked tearily. Cho was very happy to see this much emotion on the woman's face.

"Right now," Harry replied, "But, since neither of you two have actually been to my place, you'll have to side-along with one of us."

"I'll take you, Cordelia," Cho said quickly.

"I'll take Amos then," Fleur announced.

Cho saw Harry nod before Amos and Cordelia stood and moved to the other side of the table. Wordlessly, Amos took Fleur's arm and Cordelia took Cho's. Cho could tell that she was excited because her grip was quite firm and she seemed to be shaking. Harry went first, disappearing with a pop. Fleur went next with a louder pop. Cho then left as well with a shaking Cordelia Diggory.

Amos Diggory appeared in an unfamiliar room in the house of a person whom he had unfairly laid blame to for his son's death for too many years. Amos blamed Harry Potter for getting entered into the tournament even though he knew that Harry hadn't entered himself. Amos blamed Harry Potter for suggesting that he and Cedric take the cup even though he knew it was a friendly gesture. Amos blamed Harry Potter for not saving Cedric even though Cedric refused to leave. Amos blamed Harry Potter for being a target of a madman even though he knew Harry had no say in the matter.

This was why Amos could not look Harry in the eye for very long and why he couldn't hold a conversation with him. It hurt him in many ways. It hurt seeing Harry, knowing that he lived while Cedric died. It hurt seeing Harry be exalted when Cedric was nearly forgotten. But most of all, it hurt because Amos knew that the blame he placed on the shoulders of Harry Potter was entirely unfounded, but he couldn't come to terms with it.

Despite the way Amos had handled the situation with Harry, he had gotten over Cedric's death eventually. Cordelia on the other hand was a different story. Since Cedric's death, Cordelia kept hope that Cedric would walk through the door to the house and they would be reunited. Amos had tried to stop Cordelia's delusions but it just didn't work. Cordelia was in a constant state of denial that Amos just couldn't stop no matter how hard he tried.

But Cordelia did handle people better than Amos. At least the people who were involved in some way with Cedric's death. Cordelia talked regularly with Cho Chang, the girl that Cedric was dating when he died, Fleur Delacour, the Beauxbatons Triwizard Champion and Harry Potter. She also regularly sent owls to Viktor Krum who was polite enough to send letters back. While Amos may not really like it, talking to each of these people made Cordelia happy so he put up with it and even was able to pretend to be happy to see each of them.

When Harry, Fleur and Cho turned up and told them that Cedric was alive, Amos was blown away but was very sceptical. As it turned out, this was not the case for Cordelia. But Amos didn't have the heart to tell Cordelia that they could be lying. She was actually showing emotion, and lots of it. When Fleur had confirmed it, Amos was still suspicious but less so. He agreed to go with them to make sure they weren't lying.

Amos scanned the room and immediately saw that they weren't lying. Standing not far away was Albus Dumbledore. The very same man who was killed years ago. And Amelia Bones. Mad-Eye Moody. Edgar Bones. Remus and Nymphadora Lupin. James and Lily Potter. Talking to them was a blonde teenager that Amos didn't know and Sirius Black. At first, Amos felt disgust at Sirius Black but then remembered that Minister Shacklebolt posthumously cleared him of all charges and gave a very large sum of money to a charity for children.

And then he saw him. Talking to Frank and Alice Longbottom was Cedric. Amos' heart leapt like he hadn't felt in years. Apparently Cordelia noticed him at the exact same time because she shrieked and ran to Cedric and engulfed him in a hug that almost knocked him off his feet. Amos quickly made his way over and embraced his son as well. Amos had never felt better.

As the Diggorys were reunited once again, Harry was making his way over to where the Bones Family was talking to the Dumbledores, the elder Potters and Moody. Dale, Stephen and Marilyn had made their way over to where the rest of the kids were playing and being entertained by Colin, Regulus, Sirius and Harry's father while his mother and her parents looked on. Apparently Harry's muggle grandparents were still not comfortable with the magical people in the room.

"I hate to interrupt, but I need to have a word with the Bones'," Harry said politely. Albus and Ariana smiled at him, as did all of the Bones'. Harry's magical grandparents both hugged him when he announced his presence and thanked him again.

"Of course, Harry," Albus said before walking away with Ariana, Aberforth, Moody and Harry's grandparents.

"Yes, Harry?" Amelia asked.

"I just thought that I should let you know that I'm going to go and talk to Susan, Raymond and Janelle. Hannah informs me that they were set to have dinner together tonight, so I should be able to talk to them all together," Harry replied, "I think it would be best if all of you stay here while I go and talk to them. Hannah said she will come with me."

All the Bones' nodded before Edgar looked at Harry seriously. "Thank you for all of this, Harry," He said while each of the others agreed, "I may not understand completely why all of this was entirely necessary but I know we will find out in due time."

"That you will, Edgar," Harry replied, "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go and talk to Hannah and then I will talk to your family."

Harry turned and found that Hannah and Neville were standing right behind him. Harry jumped as the couple laughed. "Sorry about that Harry," Neville said between laughs. It wasn't often that anyone surprised Harry.

"Why aren't you with your parents?" Harry inquired. Neville rolled his eyes.

"Gran's decided that she needs to walk them around the room and introduce them to people they don't know and get them to introduce her to people she doesn't know. That basically means that Gran is going to introduce them to people," Neville smiled.

"I see. I can't imagine why you didn't stick around," Harry said sarcastically which made Neville laugh, "Hannah are you –"

"I'll come with you, Harry," At Harry's perplexed look she continued, "I overheard your conversation. Susan is my best friend so I want to tell her about her family," Harry nodded.

"We'll go now then?" Hannah nodded and kissed Neville.

"Have you been to Susan's before?" Harry shook his head, "Ah. So I get to side-along you! Not many people can say that," Harry, Hannah and Neville shared a laugh before Harry took Hannah's hand. She spun on the spot and they disappeared with a crack.

Susan Bones was sitting with her parents in the sitting room of her house. Unsurprisingly, they were talking about the wars. The conversation was focused on the people in their family that they'd lost over the years because Susan really hadn't lost anyone else. Everyone she was really close to had survived the Final Battle. That didn't mean she wasn't affected but it wasn't as bad for her.

Susan was too young to be able to remember her Aunt Patricia and Uncle Edgar or any of their children, but her parents had told her enough over the years for her to feel that she knew them all in a way. It wasn't the same, but it was something at least. She was also too young to remember her grandparents on her father's side. They were all killed in one swift move and it almost killed the Bones family.

When Susan thought about her childhood, she realised that she didn't have two parents. She actually had three. Aunt Amelia was like another mother to her and it hurt so much when she died in her fifth year. Luckily for Susan, she still had her mother and father to deal with it, but it hurts when one loses a parent.

Aunt Amelia had been an inspiration to Susan her whole life. Susan had always admired that her Aunt was so successful in a world that was so dominated by males. Amelia Bones was the most powerful woman in the Ministry of Magic for many years, and Susan couldn't have been more proud.

The only problem was that Susan didn't like politics at all. It didn't appeal to her. While she admired her Aunt for being involved, and succeeding in that world, she never really wanted to be. So, Susan became a healer. Susan loved to help people. It truly made her happy, and she needed everything she could to make her happy.

Susan wasn't married, nor did she have a boyfriend. Susan had tried so much after Hogwarts to find a man and settle down, but it just never happened for her. That was something else that she shared with her Aunt Amelia. Actually, Susan was beginning to wonder if it would ever happen.

As her father was telling her one of his endless stories of his family, there was a knock at the door. Susan had a relatively small house and had no House Elves so she stood to answer it. She wasn't expecting visitors that night, but she would never say no. As she opened the door a smile crossed her face.

"Hannah!" She exclaimed as she flung her arms around her best friend. It was only then that she realised who was behind her, "Hi Harry. How are you?" Susan then hugged Harry as well. In a strange way, Hannah marrying Neville had caused Susan to become better friends with Harry. They weren't as close as he and Hermione were, but more so than in Hogwarts at least. Though, Harry had never been to her house and she had not been to his.

"I'm great, actually Susan," Harry replied with a smile. Susan was surprised to see Harry smiling on that day but assumed there was a reason.

"You two should come in. My parents should be pleased to see you," Susan said, thinking that it may have been a bit of an understatement. Her parents were very huge Harry Potter fans after the fall of Voldemort and, to that day, wished they could meet him. Susan led Hannah and Harry to her sitting room whereupon her parents leapt to their feet at the sight of Harry Potter.

It was a blur of compliments as Susan watched Harry try to weather her parents. Susan was aware that Harry hated being put on a pedestal, but this time his smile did not falter. Something must have happened, Susan reasoned.

"Actually," Harry finally said as he and Hannah sat down, "We're here today to talk to all of you, not just Susan," This caused Susan to wonder why her parents were involved. Harry opened his mouth to say more but Hannah, just a little too excited, jumped in.

"Your family's alive!" Hannah shouted. Harry seemed to shrug his shoulders in defeat while Susan's mind stopped.

"What?" All three Bones' said as one.

"Your Grandparents, Aunt Amelia, Uncle Edgar, Aunt Patricia, Marilyn, Stephen and Dale are all alive and at Harry's place!" Hannah was almost jumping in her chair as she spoke. Susan was worried.

"Are you okay, Hannah?" Susan asked worriedly, putting a hand on her best friends shoulder.

"She's telling the truth," Harry said. Susan looked at him in awe, "Have any of you heard of Yargly?" Then came the story. Susan felt strangely at peace when she realised that Harry and Hannah weren't just pulling her leg. Something felt like it clicked back into place when she knew her family was alive. She looked to her parents. Both of them were weeping openly.

Her father, Raymond, was extremely close to Uncle Edgar and had always missed his parents. Her mother, Janelle, was close to Aunt Amelia and Aunt Patricia. She also loved her in-laws like her own parents. It was not surprising to see that they had both reacted that way. Susan, herself, was crying tears of joy.

"Can we see them?" Susan's dad asked Harry. Harry smiled.

"Of course. But seeing as how none of you have been to my house before, we'll need to side-along you there," Harry frowned, "I knew I should have brought someone else."

"Take my parents first, then Hannah can come back for me," Susan said. Her parents sent her grateful smiled as Harry nodded.

"Okay then. Janelle, take my arm and Raymond can go with Hannah," Susan's parents did as they were told and then all four were gone with two loud cracks. Susan stared at the air in front of her with so many things going through her mind. the most prevalent worry was whether they would all like her. She hoped so.

Luckily, Hannah showed up before Susan could get to any morbid thoughts. Hannah hugged her. Susan whispered 'thank you' to her best friend who didn't replied, but hugged her tighter. Then Susan took Hannah's hand and they disappeared with a crack.

Harry watched as Raymond and Janelle tearily greeted their family and heard the crack of Hannah's disapparation. Harry vaguely wondered if too many warm feelings in one day was unhealthy as he heard the second crack and a teary Susan turned up with Hannah. Harry watched as Susan ran to Amelia and hugged her tightly. Susan was then introduced to the family she didn't ever know.

"It's wonderful isn't it?" Hannah asked suddenly. Harry looked over to find that she, too, was crying.

"Yes. It is. Today has just been wonderful," Harry said, truly believing his own words.

"Don't you go on the last retrieval now?" Hannah asked.

"Not quite yet. I'm going to talk to Minerva about possibly holding the inevitable press conference in the Great Hall at Hogarts. It would solve so many problems and would be symbolic really," Harry said thoughtfully.

"I didn't know we were going to do that. It's a good idea though," Hannah said, "How is it symbolic?"

"The war ended in the Great Hall at Hogwarts, so it is only fitting that everyone we retrieved be integrated back into society there," Harry said with quite a bit of conviction. Hannah nodded before Harry continued, "I can't believe I forgot to tell all of you this. Can you let Neville and Luna know for me? I can tell the others."

Hannah nodded and took off in search of her husband. Harry turned and, out of the corner of his eye, saw something intriguing. He saw Eileen Snape leaning against a wall talking with Myrtle. Harry really didn't know why this surprised him. Perhaps Eileen would like Myrtle enough to adopt her. Harry could hope.

Harry then set out to look for the others to talk to them about Hogwarts. It wasn't hard to find them because they were all talking together apart from the rest of the Weasleys. Harry walked over and was soon spotted by Hermione.

"Oh, Harry. Good timing," Hermione said excitedly, "We were just talking about the press conference we'll need to have. We were thinking that we could have it in the Great –" Harry smiled as he cut her off.

"Hall at Hogwarts?" Hermione nodded seeming to be dumbfounded, "I was just telling Hannah that I was going to talk to Minerva about it right now, actually. I was just coming over to tell you guys."

"I'll come with you," Hermione said, "Minerva always liked me."

"Okay then. Anyone else?" The other four shook their heads, though Ginny took longer, as if deciding what to do, "Okay. We won't be long."

Harry and Hermione made their way to the fireplace and each grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and made their way to the Headmistress' Office at Hogwarts. When they stumbled out, they found Minerva sitting alone at her desk, filling out some form of paper work. She looked up with slight disapproval on her face before she saw who it was.

"I take it everything went well?" She asked immediately. Harry and Hermione's smiles were answer enough for her as she smiled as well.

"Yes it did. Everyone we planned on getting, as well as some others, agreed to come and are now in my house," Harry said proudly. Minerva looked quite excited.

"May I come and see everyone?" She asked in a tone not unlike James used when he was excited about Christmas.

"Yes, but we would like to talk to you about something first," Hermione said. Minerva leaned forward a bit.

"Go on," Minerva said happily.

"As you are probably already aware, we will have to have a press conference about this," Hermione said, "And we were wondering whether you would allow us to have it in the Great –" This time, Minerva cut her off.

"Hall. I was actually thinking that myself, Hermione. It is rather fitting," Minerva said as Hermione scowled slightly.

"Why do people keep doing that?" She whined as Harry laughed. Minerva gave Harry a questioning look.

"I did exactly what you just did to her just before we came here," Harry chuckled as Minerva smiled.

Hermione's face softened. "So we can do it here?"

"Yes. But I think it might be best if you give this story to a journalist you are familiar with," Minerva said grimly, "Rita Skeeter _is_ still around."

Harry laughed. "My thoughts exactly, Minerva. I was actually going to talk to Parvati after I talked to you."

"A good choice, Harry. Oh! What time should it be?" Minerva asked. Harry thought about it for a second.

"Ten o'clock, I think," Harry replied, "I was also wondering if the public could come."

"Yes, they can. I will open the gates to the public much like they were today. That is a good idea, Harry," Minerva praised, "But can we go now?"

Harry and Hermione both laughed. "Don't you have to let anyone know?" Hermione asked.

"I should probably let Filius know. He is Deputy Headmaster after all. Let him deal with the damn paperwork," Minerva grumbled.

"What paperwork's that?" Harry asked.

"Oh, you'll probably find out eventually," Minerva said reluctantly, "You know Professor Kevin Ryan?"

"Yes. He took over from Professor Heltroy last year after ten years," Hermione said immediately."

"Yes well, he has been caught attacking First Year students while under the influence of copious amounts of alcohol," McGonagall looked disgusted, "As you can imagine, he has been fired and will not continue on as Defence Professor this year. I'm sure the Auror Office will have someone willing to take the rest of this year's classes," She looked at Harry as she spoke putting something unspoken into the comment. Harry couldn't help but want to do it himself, but decided to talk to Ginny first.

"I'm sure it will, Minerva," Harry replied. Minerva nodded and took some Floo Powder to the fireplace and informed Filius that she would be away from the castle for a little while. She then offered the pot of Floo Powder to Hermione and Harry who took some. She then went through to Harry's house followed by Hermione and then Harry.

As soon as Harry stumbled out of the fireplace and dusted himself off, he turned to Hermione. "Tell everyone else that I'm just going to talk to Parvati for a while, okay?" Hermione nodded as Harry disapparated.

Parvati Macmillan was sitting on the floor her husband, Ernie, and playing with their four year old twin daughters. Parvati was also pregnant as well, so she was having a bit of trouble actually playing. She had gone into work that day though, unlike so many others, because she had to write a few articles for the Daily Prophet about the events of the day. It was something that Parvati truly liked to do.

But because of her job, Parvati was unable to participate in the ceremonies that were happening at Hogwarts and such. She was not covering those stories because she was not 'Senior enough' to do so. She often wondered if the people above her at work didn't like her because she was the only one who Harry Potter would give his stories to.

That was something that she could never thank Harry enough for. Those stories alone helped her get to where she was and she often thought that she might have still been working for Xenophilius Lovegood at _the Quibbler_. She did like Xenophilius but she wanted to do mainstream newspapers. Harry helped her achieve this by giving her a story two years after he defeated Voldemort and _the Daily Prophet_ immediately wanted her. Luckily Xenophilius understood completely and thanked her for all of her work.

Parvati looked to Ernie and smiled. It was actually because of her job at the _Prophet_. Ernie was working as a Potions Master and was working on a possible cure for lycanthropy. Parvati was sent by the editors of the _Prophet_ to investigate. It was there that Ernie had asked her out. It all took off from there. Three years after that, six years after the fall of Voldemort, Ernie and Parvati were married. And Parvati couldn't have been happier.

It was during these thoughts that someone knocked on their door. Ernie stood and had his wand in his hand. It was still May the Second and there was a threat, albeit a small one. Parvati got her wand out and stood up as quickly as she could. Ernie advanced to the door.

"I'm sure it's nothing, love," Parvati said. She was proven right when Ernie opened the door and Harry was standing there. Parvati probably should have asked Harry a security question but she hadn't seen him in some time so she walked over and gave him a hug, "How are you Harry?" She asked as Harry shook Ernie's hand.

"Pretty good, actually," Harry looked down to Parvati's belly, "When are you due?"

"In two months. Thanks for asking," Parvati smiled.

"Come in, Harry," Ernie said as he ushered Harry into the room and shut the door, "Although I must admit, I am perplexed as to why you're here."

"I need to talk to you about something and ask Parvati a favour," Harry replied as he entered the room. The twins didn't know what to make of Harry so they moved to their father. Harry smiled at them to which one of them, Phoebe, smiled back. Rachel still looked concerned.

"What did you need to talk to us about?" Parvati asked.

"Perhaps you two should sit," Harry suggested. When they did, he regaled them with a story that Parvati wouldn't have believed had it come from anyone else. How Harry got to do things like this, Parvati would never know. Ernie was also suitably impressed by the feat.

"But what does this have to do with Parvati?" Ernie asked.

"Well, as I'm sure you can guess, we have to have a press conference for this. It's too big not to," Parvati then realised what Harry wanted, "And I would like Parvati to cover it. She's the only one at the _Prophet_ I really trust."

"I'd be glad to. I just need to know where and when," Parvati said, ecstatic that she got such a big story.

"Well, now that I think about it, I probably need to talk with Kingsley to set up a time. He may be able to get him to send out special invites to everyone," Harry replied thoughtfully, "But it will be ten o'clock tomorrow in the Great Hall at Hogwarts."

Parvati nodded. It all made sense to her why Harry had to do this. They talked for a couple more minutes before Harry said that he had to go home if he wanted to catch Kingsley. That shocked Parvati. She wasn't even aware that Harry had a Floo connected to the Minister's office. That was a large honour. She thanked Harry for the opportunity to do the story and gave him another hug before he disapparated with a crack.

When Harry got back home, he was inwardly cursing himself for organising things without actually setting things up. He grabbed some Floo Powder and firecalled Kingsley.

"Harry. Is everything okay?" Kingsley asked.

"Yes. I just need you to do me a favour," Harry replied. Kingsley laughed.

"I bet it isn't often a Minister for Magic gets asked that," Harry couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not, which worried him, "What is it Harry?"

"Well, I've organised with Minerva to have a press conference in the Great Hall at Hogwarts at ten o'clock tomorrow morning," Kingsley nodded, "All I need you to do, if it's possible, is inform people. I assume people will be interested so they should be allowed to come. Can you do this?" Kingsley scratched his chin.

"I can make some inquiries, but it isn't too late so there shouldn't be too much trouble. Is there anyone in particular I _shouldn't_ invite?" Kingsley inquired.

"Rita Skeeter," Harry replied immediately, "Or any other reporter really. I've talked to Parvati Macmillan who will be covering the story," Kingsley nodded.

"I'll do what I can. And Harry," He paused, "Once again, you have done the magical world a service."

"It was nothing, Kingsley. Anyway, I have to go. I have an announcement to make," Kingsley nodded and with that, Harry ended the firecall. He stood and looked around the room before placing his wand on his neck and whispering '_sonorous_'.

"Can I have everyone's attention please?"

* * *

**_Authors Note_**

**And yes, that is where I'm leaving it. I can be downright evil sometimes.**

**This is the longest chapter so far and I think it is one of the most informative. What do you think? Should I write a bit where Albus talks to his own portrait? What about Severus? Hehe.**

**What did you think about Cho, Amos and Cordelia? Or even Augusta? I thought that Augusta would definitely be like that so I made it so. Personally, I liked what I did with Andromeda and her thoughts about Bellatrix, Narcissa and Teddy. ****What do you think of Angelina as a psychiatrist? That idea popped into my head as I was writing. What about Louis Weasley being a part-veela male? There was really a lot in this chapter, wasn't there?**

**I was reading back over the earlier chapters and noticed a few inconsistencies that I tried to correct here, the main one being Albus' lack of knowledge about Yargly.**

**Onto more serious matters. Kuhal and I have had a talk. I have been trying to get him to start writing the reading part for the better part of a month and he has yet to complete Chapter 1. Ths led toa talk about what he could do. He has informed me that he doesn't think that he can actually do this because he can't really stay focused enough to write a full chapter. Meanwhile, I have been writing for the last four hours with very few breaks. For the time being, I will be writing this story. If it comes to pass that Kuhal wants to be involved again, I will let him. I do thank him for what he has done for this story and I hope he does return to work on it.**

**Thanks to _Taeniaea_, _SokkasFirstFangirl_, _Starxwind_, _Keanna Black_, _mwinter1_, _Reynardetta_, _Shinigami_ and _bookaddict19_ for reviewing!**

_**Starxwind**_** - I hope I've done Harry's friendships with Ariana and Fleur well here. I hope you liked it, though there wasn't all that much of Ariana. And I agree that the Fleur/Harry friendship is very often underrated. I mean, they both survived a tournament that killed one of the four competitors. Surely they would be close.**

_**Keanna Black**_** - I'm glad you're enjoying it.**

_**mwinter1**_** - Tom Riddle is next up. I already had over 12,000 words and thought that was enough for this chapter.**

_**Reynardetta**_** - Thank you! I try very hard to do just that.**

**_Shinigami _- I may put a conversation between Hermione and Audrey in a later chapter. Should be interesting. And I agree about the House Elf deal. They really should focus on better rights rather than freeing them completely.**

_**bookaddict19**_** - Thanks for the kind words. I will try to avoid that pitfall. I really liked your idea about Eileen, as you probably found by reading it. When I read that in your review, it just clicked in my head that Eileen should adopt Myrtle. Thanks for that!**

**I'm posting this as soon as I finish it, so there are bound to be a few spelling/grammatical errors which I will fix in the morning (it's one o'clock at night where I am).**

**Thanks for reading and feel free to review and tell me just what you think!**

**Beletrium/Koldrian**


	10. Universal Shift: Part 7

_**Disclaimer**_** - I do not intend any copyright infringement. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. This story is purely for the enjoyment of fanfiction readers and the author. There is not any money being made from this story, nor will there ever be any made.**

* * *

_**Universal Shift: Part 7**_

Harry stood in front of the large group of people who had amassed n his house as they all turned their heads to look at him. Harry's father, Sirius, Regulus, Colin and Dennis stopped playing with the kids and payed closer attention. The kids were surprised at first but almost immediately went back to playing. The young ones did, at least. James, Rose, Victoire and Teddy all stayed with their attention focused on Harry.

Harry watched as Ariana looked up at him with a true smile on her face. He saw Myrtle and Eileen look up from their private conversation and pay attention. It occurred to Harry that this next announcement would affect Myrtle quite a bit, particularly when they read the second book. He really hoped that she would understand when the time came.

He watched as his parents and grandparents looked to where he was standing and he wondered how much his mother's parents, David and Leigh, actually knew about the war with Voldemort. He assumed that they would at least know the basics which should be enough for the beginning.

As he looked around the room, his eyes came to rest on the Diggorys. Cedric, Harry knew, would take the announcement well. Harry knew he was like that. But he wasn't really sure how Amos would take it. The man had lost his son to Voldemort. Surely it would be a shock to hear the plan that Harry and his friends had concocted.

Actually, there were people in the room who would take the idea well and there were some who wouldn't. Harry hoped to convince the group who wouldn't that the idea was sound. Not that their opinions would stop him from doing it. Yargly himself had pretty much told them they should get Tom Riddle, and Harry planned on doing just that.

If all else failed, Harry figured that he would at least have his friends' support and Albus' as well, based on what Harry knew about the man. And having the support of even just those people would help Harry immensely to convince the others. Dumbledore more so then his friends, he figured.

"I have a bit of an announcement to make," Harry said finally, garnering a few odd looks from the crowd. He noticed that Ginny, Luna, Hermione, Ron, George, Angelina, Neville, Hannah, and strangely Colin and Dennis, made their way to where he stood. Harry was happy that they were there with him. It would definitely make things much easier.

"But first, may I just say 'welcome back' to all those we have retrieved. I know that you all may not truly realise how long you have all been gone for us, considering we got you while you were alive, but I think I speak for everyone when I say that you all being here has made all our lives so much better," He received agreement from everyone in the room who had not been retrieved, and even some who had.

"But, this is not why I stand in front of you right now. I do have an announcement regarding one final retrieval," the reactions of everyone in the room were strangely subdued, "I just have a bit to say, first.

"Over the years, I have learnt that there are many ways that people can redeem themselves. But the process of redemption is never easy. For the person seeking it, nor the people around them. You need not look further then the Black brothers, Sirius and Regulus. I will not tell you their story right now because both stories are told in the course of the books. But I think my friends and I can agree that they both redeemed themselves in very different ways," Everyone standing with Harry nodded with the exception of Colin and Dennis.

"I have also come to learn that children are not born bad," Harry saw Albus look at him quickly with twinkling eyes. Apparently he had worked out where Harry was headed, "For this one, you need not look further then my cousin Dudley. But, again, this is mentioned in the books so just bare with me.

"The point that I am trying to make here is that everyone deserves a chance. A second chance," Harry's voice lowered in volume but carried in the room well enough so everyone heard, "That is why we have decided to retrieve someone that nearly every person in this room knows of. Tom Riddle."

Harry watched as there were three distinct facial expressions from people in the crowd. One was confusion. Harry was expecting this as not everyone knew the name as Voldemort's real name. This was written on the faces of people like Cedric, Ariana and Eileen as well as a lot of other people. Myrtle was confused as well, but Harry knew it was because she knew Tom Riddle as a student. The second was something akin to pride or perhaps awe. This came from Albus Dumbledore, his parents, Sirius, Tonks and Remus among others. And then, in the minority, came the people who seemed angry. Teddy, Victoire, James, Mad-Eye and Aberforth all had that particular look on their faces.

Harry was surprised to see that most of the people who had survived the second war looked pleased with the announcement. Minerva, who was standing with Albus had an amazing look of pride on her face. Molly and the rest of the Weasleys seemed to take it okay, although Charlie looked like the most sceptical, though Harry thought it may be because he had not had a child before so he may not fully understand what Harry was saying. He was still smiling, though. Susan and Amelia were, seemingly, the only two in their family who knew the name but both were accepting it fairly well. Susan was smiling at Harry while Amelia looked slightly awestruck.

"Of course, there are some of you who don't know who Tom Riddle is," Harry continued, "When Yargly gave Luna the staff, he told her something which made us decide to retrieve seven year old Tom Riddle. He told her that we should use the Staff for redemption purposes as well as getting back loved ones. This led me to discover that he was, in fact, talking about one man in particular. The man who is the sole reason we are actually here. Voldemort."

The room was in a hushed silence for a few seconds and no one seemed to speak. Harry began to get concerned as the silence lingered for longer than he had expected. He wondered what was going through the minds of everyone there.

* * *

"Voldemort."

Regulus was surprised, to say the least. Harry Potter, the man who had rescued him, and many others, from death, was now planning on retrieving the man who brought about the deaths he had stopped? Was he mad?

_No_, Regulus thought firmly. Harry had said that he was going to get the Dark Lord, no Tom Riddle, at the age of seven. Regulus did not know how Harry had come up with that particular age, but didn't much care. Surely at the age of seven, Tom Riddle was not evil like he would eventually become?

Regulus thought about himself. When he was young, he watched Sirius rebel against their parents' wishes with a sense of awe. Sirius was born into a very Dark family and had escaped and become a very 'Light' wizard. This case was not all that different, really. A seven year old could not be evil. Regulus was certain of that.

* * *

"Voldemort."

Amos' heart seemed to stop at Harry Potter's final word. At first, he thought that he may have heard the man wrong, but he realised that he had heard him correctly.

Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived. The Chosen One. The Man Who Survived. The man with all these names and more, planned on bringing back into their universe the man who had caused so many problems.

There were absolutely no words for how Amos felt. He knew that Harry was right. There was no way that a seven year old could be evil. Amos knew that it was simply the way in which you are brought up that shapes you. But no matter what he knew, the image of Harry Potter returning with the Triwizard Cup and Cedric's dead body still showed itself more than he wished it would.

It was just like how he felt about Harry Potter. It was completely irrational, but he still felt anger at the notion. That was, however, until he looked at Cordelia and Cedric who were both smiling. They obviously seemed to have no problems with Harry bringing Voldemort back into the world. Now, Amos had to make a choice.

Does he give into the anger or does he join his family's thought? Amos really didn't know what to do.

* * *

"Voldemort."

Molly knew from the start, when Harry started talking about redemption, that he was going to tell tm that he was retrieving Tom Riddle. Molly knew Harry well enough to know that he would not pass up an opportunity like that. It was something that Molly would have expected Albus to do.

She was definitely not opposed to the idea of retrieving Tom Riddle. That was fair enough. But, what she was worried about, was how Ginny would handle it. Molly wasn't stupid. She knew that Harry and Ginny would adopt the boy as their own, and she thought that would be the best idea. But she knew better than anyone how Ginny had been after the incident in the Chamber of Secrets.

There were so many times over that Summer break that Molly would be awoken by her crying daughter telling her that she had had the dream. She would often have the dream more than once and it broke Molly's heart to see her daughter in so much pain.

As time went on, Ginny's dreams became less and less frequent. Though, to that day, Ginny still had it occasionally. Perhaps once every two months. Molly really had no idea how traumatic the experience must have been for her daughter. But deep down in her heart, she knew that Ginny would try her very hardest with young Tom. Perhaps it would be the closure she needed to finally stop having the dream.

* * *

"Voldemort."

Teddy loved Harry. There was no doubting that fact. But when Harry had said who he was retrieving last, Teddy couldn't agree with it. Voldemort was the reason for his parents' deaths. He was responsible for everything bad that had happened in Magical Britain since 1970. How could Harry be so stupid?

Could he not see how this was going to end? Tom Riddle would grow up, become Voldemort and the whole damn thing would start over again! How could he let this happen?

Teddy did not even acknowledge the looks of pride on the faces of his parents. He was simply angry at Harry.

* * *

"Voldemort."

Ariana didn't know the name, but for some reason it sent shivers up her spine. She knew that it must be someone bad because of how Harry had spoken about it. But she knew that he was right. No child was ever born evil. Ariana may have been relatively young, but she did know that much.

Even the Muggle boys who had attacked her were not evil, no matter how much she thought they were. They were frightened when they saw her doing magic. They reacted in a way that boys should. Sure, it had hurt Ariana at the time and for years after, but ever since Albus got her from home and Harry took her to his house, she had felt that pain start to drift away.

It was still there. Just less so. She knew that Harry had been a big part of that. She looked at the raven-haired man. He was looking out at the crowd with a slight frown. She then smiled at him. Apparently he saw her because he smiled back slightly and gave her a wink.

Ariana wasn't really sure what it was that had drawn her to Harry. All she knew was that she felt protected when he was around. Like she did whenever Albus and Aberforth were around her. Maybe that meant that Harry was like an older brother to her. Someone who would protect her.

When Harry showed her how fun magic was, Ariana had asked Albus if she could learn. She was concerned when she did. She had never wanted to before then, so she thought Albus might say no, but he actually said yes and told her that he would teach her. _If Albus is going to teach me, It'll be brilliant!_ Ariana thought eagerly.

* * *

"Voldemort."

Edgar was waiting for the punchline to what he thought, hoped really, was a very cruel joke. He was supposed to accept that Harry planned on bringing Lord Voldemort into their universe. After everything he did to get back the people whose deaths that very person caused? He _had_ to be joking.

But he had said that he was getting Tom Riddle at seven years of age. Thinking about that, Edgar turned and looked at his own kids. They were all still young. Marilyn was only twelve, Stephen was nine and Dale was five. What Harry said then hit home. He had always thought of his kids as good kids, but what would have happened had they been brought up by someone like Walburga Black? Would they still be the same as they are now? Or would they turn dark? These were questions that Edgar didn't particularly want to think about.

It was then that he realised how right Harry really was. Children are so impressionable. If they are brought up by abusive parents, they have more of a chance of turning out that way themselves, just like if they are brought up by nice parents, they'll likely turn out nice. Perhaps Harry was right about young Tom Riddle. But Edgar still wondered what exactly had made the boy think that.

* * *

"Voldemort."

Fred and George had been able to sense and feel each other since they could remember. It was actually one of the key ways they were such successful pranksters. George was elated when he realised that he regained it with Fred when he was brought into this universe. It was like a hole had been filled.

The one interesting thing about their link was that they often felt pretty much the same about a lot of things. When Harry spoke was not one of these things. George could tell that Fred was struggling to accept it. Fred could feel that George thought it was brilliant. Because this rarely happened, they weren't really sure exactly what to do when it did.

George looked Fred in the eye during the silence. Fred caught the look and, almost immediately, he accepted what Harry had just announced. Fred knew how much George had gone through in the past years. George had explicitly told him. So Fred knew that they would never truly be the same as they were before.

This would be the first of many differences, Fred and George both decided at the same time. It may not ever be the same again, but George had never been happier. His wedding day. The birth of his kids. These days had _very_ special meanings to George, but there was nothing that compared to having Fred again.

Fred then broke the look and nodded to Harry who seemed to be smiling at someone. Harry caught the nod and nodded himself.

* * *

"Voldemort."

Fabian and Gideon didn't really know how to react. On one hand, they both knew that Harry had orchestrated saving their lives. That was admirable. But on the other hand, they had come from a time where Voldemort ran rampant in society and killed many. It was a hard pill to swallow that Harry planned on bringing back that same man, just as a child.

The agreed with Harry in theory about children not being evil, but even so, they found it difficult to understand. If he had said, say, Bellatrix Lestrange. Yeah, they could go for that. As bad as she was in their time, she was nothing compared to Voldemort. Voldemort was the definition of evil. Now he wanted to bring that evil into the world.

To say Fabian and Gideon were conflicted was an understatement. But then, at precisely the same time, they looked behind them at the children playing in the back of the room. They were kids. Innocent. Like all kids were at some point. Then it hit them both.

_Where does it go wrong?_ They both thought at the same time. They then understood what Harry had been trying to tell everyone. Seven year old Tom Riddle would be the same as those kids playing in the back. The same kids Fabian and Gideon both wanted to join and play.

* * *

"Voldemort."

James looked at Lily. Lily looked at James. They knew, at that moment, that their son was a great man. The son they never raised was now one of the greatest men they had ever known. Up there with Albus Dumbledore.

That one look conveyed everything they wanted to say to one another. They both could not have been prouder of their son at that moment.

* * *

"Voldemort."

Augusta wanted to yell at the top of her lungs, "GET ON WITH IT!" as the silence went on, but she held her tongue. She really didn't care all that much whether Harry brought Tom Riddle into the universe. If he _did_ turn out to be evil again, Harry would just defeat him again.

Some might think that Augusta was being naive by thinking that, but she did believe it. What reason did she have not to? Harry Potter was there. Albus Dumbledore was there. Between the two of them, how could any threat like Voldemort be as bad as it was before? Augusta was of the opinion, like many people, that Harry was beginning to reach the levels that Dumbledore was at when he had just defeated Grindelwald.

Augusta was alive when Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald and it was a big deal. She was also alive when Harry Potter defeated Voldemort. If possible, it was actually a bigger deal. Between Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore, the wizarding world was pretty safe if you asked Augusta.

* * *

"Voldemort."

Severus was shocked. Harry Potter was doing something like that. It was definitely a Lily Evans thing to do. Not a James Potter thing to do. He was really expecting Harry to be more like James Potter, but what he saw surprised him.

Severus found that he agreed thoroughly with what Harry said about children. He knew it had happened to him when he was a child. Severus didn't think he was on an evil path as a small child. His father had sent him down that spiral that ended in the death of his true love and only true friend, Lily Evans. Yes, Severus thought that little Tom Riddle deserved a second chance. A chance that he wished he could have had, himself.

* * *

"Voldemort."

Albus could not stop smiling. Harry had done something Dumbledore had wished he'd done for years. Albus was the first magical person to ever see Tom Riddle. When he did, he was appalled at the boy's living conditions at that orphanage. That was his first thought and, to that day, Albus knew that it was the orphanage that made Tom Riddle into what he had become.

Albus was always telling people not to dwell on dreams or fantasy. But he had not taken that into account over the years. He often wondered what would have happened had Tom Riddle not grown up in the orphanage. It was a fantasy that haunted him.

Whenever he thought of Lord Voldemort, his thoughts did not go to the monster who killed many. It went to the boy in the small room. It went to the boy who was so very paranoid. It went to the boy who was told he would need to see a Muggle therapist. That environment could not have been good for him.

Over the years, Albus had learnt quite a bit about Tom Riddle. He learnt about the cave where Tom had tortured those two Muggle children when he was seven. He learnt about the rabbit. He learnt about what happened after Hogwarts. On the whole, Albus Dumbledore knew more about Tom Riddle then anyone in the world.

Although Harry Potter now seemed to know as much, or perhaps more, than Albus. It was not all that surprising given the prophecy, really. It was, Albus thought, a wise idea to trust Harry on this topic. If Dumbledore was correct, then Harry would have already defeated Lord Voldemort If he is willing to take the risk and bring Tom Riddle into the universe, after Tom had done so much to him, then who was Albus to say 'no'. Not that he would. Albus would likely have done it himself, given the chance.

Albus looked down to Ariana who was smiling at Harry. His heart was lifted that she trusted Harry so much. It was really a change from the young girl he knew, all those years ago. If anything, Albus would side with Harry because of Ariana. Albus grasped his little sister's hand before letting it go and making his way to where Harry was standing.

The room was still silent as Albus walked with purpose to Harry. As he reached where Harry was standing, Harry looked at him with his emerald green eyes. Albus turned around, cast a _sonorous_ charm and began to speak.

"I believe," Albus began, "That Harry has decided to do the right thing," There were a few murmurs of agreement in the crowd, which was the first sound made by the group since Harry's announcement, "As I'm sure you all would know, or would have worked out, I know a lot about Tom Riddle. I taught him. I fought against him. I studied his life. I know more about that man than anyone else does in the world. Or at least I did.

"It occurs to me that Harry Potter actually knows more about Tom Riddle then I do. To that end, I concede defeat," He looked to Harry who nodded, "But, based on what I _do_ know, this plan is a sound one. Some may disagree, but I believe that Harry will probably go ahead and do it, even if you don't agree with him. I would probably do the same, had he not thought of it first."

That last comment created an outburst of murmurs through the room. Apparently, those who were most opposed to Harry's idea were the ones who did not know him. Albus telling them that he would do the same carried a lot of weight. Harry couldn't tell for certain, but it seemed as if there was not a person left in the room that disagreed with the idea.

Harry looked beside him. On his left was Ginny and on his right was Luna, holding the lengthened staff in her hands. She looked surprisingly serious for her. Harry looked at Ginny for a second before reaching out and hugging her. "Are you sure about this?" He whispered in her ear. He felt Ginny nod.

"Yes. More so than ever, I think," Ginny whispered back, "Let's go."

Harry turned to Luna. "We're ready, Luna. You know where and when, right?"

"Of course I do, Harry," Luna replied, putting the staff in front of Harry. Harry looked the blonde in her big blue eyes and nodded. He then looked Ginny in her chocolate coloured eyes and nodded also. Harry and Ginny grabbed the staff together and disappeared together in a large flash of light, much to the surprise of anyone present.

**31****st**** December, 1933**

Harry, Ginny and Luna touched down in an alleyway somewhere in London. It was amazing what Yargly's staff could actually do. Harry was not even certain of where Wool's Orphanage actually was, he just knew it was in London. Luna had told him that she only needed to know the name of the place and where to drop them off. Harry looked around and realised that the alleyway was actually very clean.

As he began to exit the alleyway, he felt a hand creep into his. He could tell instantly that it was Ginny's so he waited for her before continuing, hand-in-hand out of the alleyway with Luna on his other side. Before they exited he realised something as he looked at the clothes they were wearing.

"Wait," Harry told Ginny and Luna quickly, "I reckon we might want to have on clothes that were actually appropriate for the times," He pointed his wand at himself and transfigured his clothes into a suit not unlike the one he had seen Albus wear in the memory of him going to the orphanage.

Ginny and Luna both changes their apparel to be less revealing and made sure that they wore a dress. It was then that Harry felt they could finally leave the alleyway.

As they walked towards the end of the road where Wool's Orphanage was situated, Harry mentally prepared himself for what was going to happen. As it was New Year's Eve, he would likely have to use a Confundus Charm on the person in charge, who was probably going to be the Mrs. Cole from the memory.

As they got closer to the orphanage, Harry realised that it was precisely as it was in the memory, meaning it did not change in four years. It was really a depressing thought, given what the orphanage already looked like. It was surrounded by high railings and looked very worn-down. It did look very clean, however.

They finally reached the orphanage and stood at the gates for a few moments before Ginny gave Harry's hand a squeeze, telling him that she was ready. Harry then nodded to Luna and they all entered the iron gates to the orphanage. Harry was beginning to get rather nervous.

They all walked up the steps leading to the door before Harry knocked once, with his other hand in his jacket pocket, grasping his wand. After only a moment or two, the door was opened by a rather stern looking woman who Harry did not remember from Dumbledore's memory.

"I'm sorry, but the orphanage is closed for today as it is New Year's Eve," The woman told them with a hint of anger in her voice. Harry discretely got his wand out of his pocket and waved it at her, hitting her with a Confundus Charm.

"I am immensely sorry, ma'am. But we have business here today," The woman nodded, looking as if she was in a stupor, "May we see the matron?" The woman nodded again and beckoned them in.

"MRS. COLE!" The woman shouted before looking back to Harry, Ginny and Luna, "She should be done shortly," Harry had his wand back in his pocket as he knew the Charm would last a while. The stern woman showed them some seats to sit down in to wait, which all three immediately did. It was probably two minutes before Mrs. Cole showed up, muttering.

"I'm sorry, but I must ask you to leave," Mrs. Cole said politely. Apparently between then and four years from then, she became very anxious. Harry wondered if that had anything to do with Tom, "It is New Year's Eve after all."

"That's fine, ma'am," Harry replied with a smile, "But my wife and I," He pointed to Ginny, "We were just wondering if you had some information on a child here at the orphanage?" Mrs. Cole sighed.

"Fine," She said exasperatedly, "Come with me, and I will try to answer your questions," She led them into a small room that seemed to be a sort of office-sitting room hybrid. She sat behind a desk after drawing up three rickety chairs for each of them to sit on, "May I ask, before we go on, who is the other lady with you?"

"That's Luna," Ginny replied, "A family friend who needed to get into the city so she came with us. I'm Ginevra, by the way. My husband's name is Harold."

"It's a pleasure," Mrs. Cole said before looking to Luna, "Your name is very unique. I must say, I like it," Luna and Mrs. Cole both shared a smile, "May I ask as to which resident you are asking after?"

"Tom Riddle," Harry said quickly. Mrs. Cole's eyes seemed to brighten a little.

"Are you family? Are you here to celebrate his birthday?" She asked sounding excited. This was a stark contrast to the Mrs. Cole from the memory.

"Well, no we aren't family. If we knew it was Tom's birthday we would have brought him a gift," Harry lied. He did indeed know it was Tom's birthday. That was why they chose that particular day, "We were interested in possibly adopting him," At that, Mrs. Cole seemed to get even more excited.

"Oh, that's so wonderful! Tommy has had a hard time fitting in here and I often wondered whether having a family would be good for him," She said before calming down a bit and the smile left her face, "How did you find out about Tommy?" _Damn_, Harry thought. He hadn't thought of that possibility.

"My friends adopted a child from here not long ago," Luna replied arily, "They told me that they met with Tommy but they chose another. I knew that Harold and Ginevra were looking to adopt so I told them," Mrs. Cole, to Harry's relief, nodded and smiled again.

"Ah. The Westons?" Mrs. Cole asked. When Luna nodded, Mrs. Cole smiled broader, "That makes sense, then," She then looked back to Harry and Ginny, "I could tell you all about Tommy, but maybe you would like to see him yourself? I know we aren't really open, but I'll allow it," Harry was glad that he didn't have to use the Confundus Charm on Mrs. Cole. He was also kind of glad she had not brought out the gin as she had done with Albus.

"That would be nice," Ginny replied, "Though, perhaps Luna should stay and chat with you. We wouldn't want to overwhelm Tommy right away," Mrs. Cole nodded.

"I understand. Let me just show you to his room. He should be in there," She said, standing up. Mrs. Cole led Harry and Ginny out of the room and up a flight of stone stairs. As she passed her workers she would kindly tell them they were doing a good job, or how to do a better one, while saying hello to the children. Harry was surprised at the difference four years made to this woman.

"Here we are," Mrs. Cole said happily, as they turned off a landing and stopped outside the first door of a long corridor, "Good luck," She said quietly as she knocked, "Tommy. You have some visitors."

The door crept open to reveal a young boy who looked remarkably similar to what he had at eleven in Albus' memory, just a bit smaller and looked less...angry was how Harry would describe it. As he opened the door he stared at Harry and Ginny in shock before standing aside to let them into a small, bare room with nothing but a wardrobe, a wooden chair and an iron bedstead. Ginny's hand tightened around Harry's. He knew it was because of the room that Tom had to stay in. Tom shut the door and stood in front of Harry and Ginny.

"Hello, Tom. I'm Harry Potter," Harry said softly, reaching out his hand. Tom eyed him warily for a moment before taking it, "And this lovely lady here, is my wife Ginny," It was Tom who reached out his hand this time. Ginny's hand left Harry's so she could shake the boy's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Tom," Ginny said. Tom looked down.

"It's nice to meet you, too," Tom replied quietly, "But why are you here?" Harry and Ginny shared a look. This little boy was most definitely _not_ the eleven year old Tom Riddle and Harry and Ginny both knew it.

"First of all, Happy Birthday," Harry said. Tom looked up with his eyes wide, "If we had known before we came here, we would have gotten you a gift," Ginny nodded to tell Tom that she agreed. The pale boy seemed to have tears in his eyes.

"You and Mrs. Cole are the only people who have ever said that to me," Tom said in a way that actually broke Harry's heart, "Thank you."

"If we have our way, Tommy," Ginny started, Tom smiled at her, "You won't have that problem anymore."

"What do you mean?" Tom asked. Harry thought he could see a flicker of hope in his eyes.

"The reason we're here today is because we want to adopt you, Tommy," Harry said quietly. Tom looked up at them and smiled broadly. Harry thought that Tom had a very cute smile. It was almost like James'.

"Really?" Tom asked happily.

"Yes," Harry and Ginny said together. Tom then did something Harry and Ginny were both not expecting. He ran to Harry and hugged him. He then moved to Ginny and did the same.

"Thank you so much. I don't like it here," Tom said sadly, "The other kids don't like me. I don't know why."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore, Tommy. We won't let that happen to you after today," Harry stated firmly, "But before we do anything else, I think we should have a talk," He looked to Ginny who nodded. She then stood behind Harry and cast a silencing charm on the door. Tom didn't see anything.

"About what?" Tom asked.

"Firstly, I need to tell you that you are a wizard," Harry said bluntly. He wasn't really sure how to break it to him so he did it the way Hagrid had done it to him. Tom's face fell immediately.

"I knew it was too good to be true. This is all a joke isn't it?" He accused, looking not unlike a hurt puppy. Harry shook his head.

"No, Tom. I'm telling you the truth," he then grabbed his wand and pointed it at the boy, "_Wingardium Leviosa_," He intoned and Tom left the ground and floated up. As Harry did this, Tom began to giggle.

"Okay. I liked that," Tom said as Harry put him down, "But why can't I do that?"

"Because you haven't been taught yet," Ginny replied, "You go to a special school when you turn eleven where you learn everything about magic."

"Can you do it, too?" Tom asked Ginny. Ginny nodded and showed Tom her wand, "Wow."

"Magic is pretty interesting," Harry said, "But there is one other thing we need to tell you before anything is finalised."

"Okay," Tom said nervously.

"We are from the future," Tom gaped at them before looking hurt again, "No, Tom. We're not lying. We are. From the year 2011, in fact."

"That's not possible," Tom replied.

"It is," Ginny said, "Our friend, Luna, met someone who helped us do it. We were able to get a lot of our friends back using it."

"So you can...move through time?" Tom asked sounding confused.

"Well, yes and no. What we are doing is a little bit more complicated, but we do move around in time a bit," Harry replied, "The point is that if you still want to come with us, you will be coming with us to that time."

Tom looked thoughtful for about half a minute. "If you are from the future, can you tell me what would happen if I stayed here?" He asked finally. Harry thought it was a pretty intelligent question for a seven year old.

"You stay here until you are eleven and then you go to Hogwarts. That's the magic school. But you still have to come back here for two months a year," Harry replied.

"I want to go with you," Tom said firmly, "I don't want to be here at all."

Harry nodded. "But, Tommy. You need to promise me you won't tell anyone anything that I've told you until we get back to 2011 okay?" Tom nodded quickly.

"Is there anything you would like to take with you?" Ginny asked, "We can get you clothes when we get there."

"Well then, no," Tom said sadly. Harry put a hand on Tom's shoulders.

"Come on, then. Let's go and tell Mrs. Cole the good news," Harry said happily. Tom looked up at Harry smiling. Ginny quickly removed the silencing charm and Tom opened the door. Mrs. Cole was nowhere to be seen, so Harry and Ginny led Tom back to Mrs. Cole's office where Luna was apparently telling Mrs. Cole a funny story because Mrs. Cole was laughing very hard.

When they entered, Harry cleared his throat which got Mrs. Cole's attention and she whirled around and a smile appeared when she saw Tom with them. She and Luna both stood and Luna walked over to them, with her hand on her ear.

"This is so good!" Mrs. Cole exclaimed.

"Now, Luna," Harry said quickly. As Luna was lengthening the staff much to Mrs. Cole's shock, Harry looked to Tom, "You have to grab the thing that woman has, okay?" Tom nodded, "I'll hold your hand too, if you like," Harry said.

"That would be good, Harry," Tom said. Harry smiled and grasped Tom's small hand as he touched the wood of the staff. Ginny followed just before Tom. Mrs. Cole was looking at them in shock. Harry actually felt a bit bad for deceiving such a nice woman, but it had to be done.

They all then felt a pull at their navel, heard the scream of Mrs. Cole and disappeared with a flash. Tom's hand was tightening in Harry's as they left the office of Wool's Orphanage.

* * *

**_Authors Note_**

**Well, there you have it folks. The one you've all been waiting for. You'll notice that I took a lot from the Half-Blood Prince and changed it ever so slightly. I liked writing this one.**

**What did you think of my split moments. I wanted to do everyone, but settled for who I had. I'm not sure about Teddy's though. Tell me what you think. I also want to know what you think about my Tom Riddle. You have to remember that this was before he had his first bout of magic, so he would not have attacked any other child at the orphanage.**

**I _had_ to include Augusta in there. I like wirting her here. There is so much about her demeanour that is so funny. Also, a little more Ariana and Harry friendship for those that wanted it.**

**Thanks to _Taeniaea_, _Clarissa Jackson_, _SokkasFirstFangirl_, _QueenAnneMagic_, _Marauderette Amberly Lupin_, _Shinigami_, _beverlie4055_, _DrinkingAlcoholicRainbows_ and _Estel Ashlee Snape_ for your reviews.**

_**QueenAnneMagic**_** - James Sirius Potter is 6 going on 7. His birthday is in the Prologue chapter. And I figure that everyone who they retrieved had a reason to go with them, so they did. Just really look at everyone involved. Even if it's avoiding death, there is a reason for them going with Harry, Luna and co.**

_**Shinigami**_** - Well this answers your question. There will be one more chapter before reading the books which will be the formal announcement. I am still working on getting the Malfoys and Dursleys (not Vernon). Also, there will be other interludes scattered through the reading so you will get what you want. Well...mostly.**

_**DrinkingAlcoholicRainbows**_** - I am proud. Thank you. My reason for such a long 'intro' as it were, though I was not planning it to go _this_ long (I'm getting close to 100,000 words!), is because I feel that the other 'Reading The Books' fics I've read are too quick. "Where are we? Oh? The Room Of Requirement? Oh, look. My family. Hugs. What's this? Books? We must read them!" or "MWUHAHAHAHA! I shall discredit Potter by reading these books I have gotten somehow and reading them in the Great Hall, interrupting many days of studying" (Umbridge by the way). I love being born awesome. Don't you? It's immensely fun. And, yes. Philosopher's (Not Sorcerer's) Stone will be first up. All of the books will be in this one fic. Thank you for the kind words and I hope you stick with me.**

**Now that that's done, I have a sort of announcement. I am considering a possible sequel when the reading is done. I have a vision in my head. I have not decided yet, as I am still writing my other series on my other account. I will inform you when I make a decision.**

**The next chapter will be the formal announcement, more from Tom and the Malfoys and Dursleys. Stay tuned.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it. Let me know!**

**Beletrium/Koldrian**


	11. Tom Marvolo Potter

_**Disclaimer**_** - I do not intend any copyright infringement. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. This story is purely for the enjoyment of fanfiction readers and the author. There is not any money being made from this story, nor will there ever be any made.**

* * *

_**Tom Marvolo Potter**_

Tom Marvolo Riddle. Whoever had named him that was a strange one, Tom reckoned. But for how long would that really be his name? Tom had known since he was five exactly what happened at Wool's Orphanage. He knew that he didn't have any parents. He knew that at any moment some people could come and take him away. He also knew that these people had different names to him. He was truly hoping he could get rid of his last name.

Some people may be confused as to why Tom thought that. It was simple, really. His last name was what people called a 'family name'. A name that showed what family you came from. Tom had never had any family. Whenever he told Mrs. Cole that, she smiled and told him that everyone at the Orphanage was his family. Tom didn't believe that, but he just smiled and nodded politely.

It was tough, sometimes, watching kids get picked by parents, knowing that they hadn't chosen him. Although, sometimes Tom would be happy to see one of them leave because there were some kids at the Orphanage he just didn't like at all. This wasn't for lack of trying on his part. The other kids just picked on him. Tom didn't understand why. He was never mean to them and never called them names. But they were mean to him and called him names. It just didn't make sense.

There were times where Tom would get really angry at the other kids and have to sit in his room for a while to calm down. He didn't do it because Mrs. Cole or one of the other workers told him to. He did it because he didn't like to be angry. There were two kids in particular that made him the angriest. Dennis Bishop and Amy Benson. No one really liked Tom, but the others would at least leave him alone occasionally. But not Dennis and Amy.

They were definitely the worst of the lot. Always tormenting Tom. Calling him names and taking what few things he had. But Tom never retaliated. He bore what they gave him because he didn't want to make a fuss. Tom had thought, on occasion, that they didn't like him because Mrs. Cole seemed to like him best, but he never found out if that was right.

It was his birthday. There wasn't much fanfare for it. Sometimes, the other kids had little parties for their birthdays, but when Mrs. Cole had asked Tom if he wanted one, Tom shook his head sadly. The truth was that he did want one, but he wanted one with people he actually liked. Not ones he didn't. Besides, it wasn't like anyone cared about Tom enough, other than Mrs. Cole, to know it was his birthday.

But he was wrong. Tom was sitting in his room thinking about things. He often did that. There wasn't much else he could, or even wanted to do. It was easier to be alone. But then someone knocked. Mrs. Cole told him that he had some visitors. Tom's heart leapt for what seemed to be the thousandth time in his life, just as it did every time Mrs. Cole said he had a visitor. That usually meant that there were people looking to adopt.

Tom didn't want to seem too eager, so he slowly made his way to the door and opened it. He saw a man who looked to be in his early thirties who had black hair and round glasses. He wore a strange plum coloured suit. Next to him was a very pretty woman. She had long red hair and wore what seemed to be a very plain dress.

That conversation went up and down for Tom. When Harry had said 'Happy Birthday' to him, Tom felt his heart swell up strangely. He hadn't felt that before. Then they told him that they wanted to adopt him. _Him_. Tom couldn't contain his joy and did something he had never done before, not even to Mrs. Cole. He hugged both Harry and Ginny. It felt good to hug someone. Tom felt safe.

At times though, he felt like someone was toying with him because what they said was so unbelievable. But they proved it. Harry made Tom float, which Tom thoroughly enjoyed. He even laughed! Harry Potter was a wizard and Ginny Potter was a witch. And they were telling him that he was a wizard. Tom felt his heart warm as he watched Harry and Ginny talk to him.

After they proved that they were, in fact, magical, they proceeded to tell Tom that they were from a different time. Tom found _that_ very hard to believe. But they hadn't lied to him yet, so Tom let them explain. Then a thought came to his head. He needed to know whether he would be better off going with them seventy-eight years into the future. He needed to know what would happen to him if he stayed where he was. When they told him that he would stay at the Orphanage until he was old enough to go out on his own, Tom knew that he had to go with them. He couldn't stand to stay there at the Orphanage. Truth be told, he was worried what he might end up becoming if he did. Sometimes the anger was so bad he wondered if it would get the best of him.

So Harry and Ginny took Tom down to Mrs. Cole's office. Mrs. Cole seemed overjoyed that Tom was getting a family. Tom noticed the blonde woman who was talking with Mrs. Cole. She was shorter then Harry and Ginny and had big blue eyes. She seemed like a really nice woman.

Then the commotion began. The blonde woman, Luna, pulled out a stick and made it bigger. Harry told Tom to grab on. Then Harry said something that took Tom off guard.

"I'll hold your hand too, if you like," Harry had said. Tom was completely flabbergasted. The only time he had ever really touched anyone else was either Mrs. Cole or when he hugged Harry and Ginny earlier. He knew what he wanted to do.

"That would be good, Harry," He said quietly. He then felt Harry's hand grab his. Once again, Tom felt his heart swell up. He reached out and touched the stick and within seconds he started to move. He wanted to let go of the stick, but he instinctively knew not to. That and he felt safe while Harry was holding his hand.

When they finally landed, Tom looked around and saw a few bookcases full of large, leather-bound books. There was also a large table with a lot of paper on it and a few open books. As Tom was looking, he realised that he hadn't let go of Harry's hand, but still didn't. When he was done inspecting the room, Tom looked at Harry. Harry crouched down, not letting go of his hand.

"I just need to go and talk to a few people, Tommy. Okay?" Tom nodded, "I won't be long. Ginny and Luna will tell you a few things you need to know," Tom nodded again and let go of Harry's hand reluctantly. Harry stood and left the room. Tom thought he heard quiet conversation when Harry opened the door, but the second it was shut, he couldn't. Tom then felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Ginny smiling at him. She had a pretty smile.

"How about we move some stuff off Harry's desk and you can sit there while we talk to you?" Ginny suggested. Tom nodded, not really knowing what to say. Ginny then pulled out her stick thing and waved it. All the paper on the desk flew through the air and entered into some drawers while the books closed and stacked each other on the desk. When it was over, Tom was left staring at the now clear desk. He heard Ginny laugh behind him. Tom turned to face her, "When my mum did that when I was around for the first time, I had the same reaction," She said and Tom felt his cheeks redden. Tom was about to speak but he watched as Ginny reached out, picked him up and sat him on the desk. Tom smiled at Ginny.

"Now, Tommy. There are a few things you'll need to know before you go downstairs," Ginny said. Tom began to listen quite intently, "The first is that this," Ginny held up the stick, "Is what we call a wand. It's how most of us do magic. Luna has one as well," Tom watched as Luna pulled a shorter wand out from behind her ear.

"Do people always keep their wands behind their ears?" Tom asked curiously. Ginny and Luna laughed.

"Not at all, Tommy. Luna's just different," Ginny said. Tom watched as Luna leaned in to Tommy.

"It's so that people aren't expecting it," She whispered. Tom smiled.

"The next thing is that pretty much everyone downstairs has one of these," Ginny continued.

"How many people are actually downstairs?" Tom asked. Ginny looked thoughtful, but Luna looked ready to answer.

"Seventy-one including all the kids and Minerva, but she won't be here long," Luna said immediately. Tom looked surprised.

"Why that many?" Tom asked curiously and a little nervously. Ginny and Luna shared a look and smiled.

"We've had an eventful day," Ginny said, "We did what we did with you to get a whole bunch of people."

"Why?" Tom asked. He didn't really understand why they even got him, really.

"They all died in two separate wars," Ginny said quietly, "A lot of them were very good friends or family," Something seemed to click in Tom's mind.

"Did I die?" Tom asked, feeling nervous about the answer. Again, Ginny and Luna looked at each other.

"Yes. You did," Luna replied. Tom's heart sank.

"Will I die now?" Tom asked worriedly as he looked at Ginny who reached over and hugged him.

"No. Harry and I and all of your family won't let you," She said quietly. Tom saw Luna nod in the background. When Ginny let go, Tom saw that she had tears in her eyes. She wiped them away before talking again, "Speaking of family, I should probably tell you some things.

"Harry and I already have three kids," Tom's eyes widened at the thought of having brothers or sisters, "We have James who is six, Albus who is five and Lily who is three."

"Wow," Tom said happily. He was going to have brothers and sisters. One of them was close to his age too.

"Yeah," Ginny said with a smile, "But that's not all. I have six older brothers," Tom's eyes widened further, "Your Uncle Ron is married to your Aunt Hermione. They have two kids, Rose is four and Hugo is three. Uncle Fred and Uncle George are twins, but only Uncle George is married. He's married to Aunt Angelina and they have two children. Fred II is eight and Roxanne is seven. Uncle Percy is married to Aunt Audrey and they have two kids. Molly II is ten and Lucy is eight. Uncle Charlie isn't married but he's really cool. Uncle Bill is married to Aunt Fleur and they have three kids. Victoire turned eleven today, Dominique is ten and Louis is four."

"What about Luna?" Tom asked.

"She isn't blood related, but she is family," Ginny said, smiling at the blonde.

"I'm married to Rolf Scamander, I'm sure he won't mind you calling him Uncle Rolf. We have twin sons, Lysander and Lorcan. They're seven," Luna was smiling while she spoke, "You can call me Aunt Luna if you like. All the other kids do."

"Okay, Aunt Luna," Tom said, trying the name. He found that he quite liked it. He looked at Ginny, "You have a big family."

"That's not the least of it. I haven't told you about Mum and Dad. They're here too. They're names are Molly and Arthur, but you should call them Grandma and Grandpa," Ginny grinned, "They'll make you anyway. That's nineteen Weasleys. And then there's Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon. That's twenty-one from my side of the family. Thank Merlin, Muriel isn't here."

Tom just gaped. Not fifteen minutes prior he had no family. Now he had Harry, Ginny, James, Albus and Lily _as well as_ twenty-one other family members. He could only say one thing. "I don't think I'll remember everyone," Aunt Luna and Ginny burst out laughing. Tom frowned a bit.

"Sometimes I think that too, Tommy," Aunt Luna said. This seemed to make Ginny laugh harder. Tom couldn't help but laugh with them, "When in doubt, look for red hair."

"Anything else I should know?" Tom asked with his head already swimming.

"Well. Harry's parents and Grandparents are here as well," Tom found his mouth open, "Both sets of Grandparents."

"Both?" Ginny nodded, "This is a lot to take in."

"I know, but it would be harder if you went down there not knowing who your family was and who wasn't," Ginny replied. Tom silently agreed but continued to gape, "There's only one more person you should know about. Teddy Lupin is Harry's godson and Harry was like a father to him since he was born because his parents died. He'll be around a lot too There is one last thing."

"Okay," Tom said warily.

"Starting tomorrow we and everyone else downstairs are going to read a series of books that are about Harry's life at Hogwarts," Ginny said, "There are seven books and we're reading them to help people know what happened in the last war."

"Am I in the books?" Tom thought he saw Ginny's eyes harden but they were immediately soft again.

"Yes and no," She replied evasively, "Not this you at least," Tom nodded, not really fully understanding but accepting what Ginny had said. Just then, Harry walked in along with four kids. He was carrying a little girl with red hair who looked like she hadn't long woken up, Tom knew this was Lily. Following close by was a young boy who had hair exactly the same as Harry and the same green eyes who Tom figured was Albus and another boy followed and had the same hair as Albus and Harry, but he looked a bit more like Ginny even down to his brown eyes. This had to be James. Behind them all stood a taller, obviously teenage boy. Tom was reeling when he saw that the boy had deep blue hair.

When Harry left the room, he made his way downstairs immediately. He wanted to get this done relatively quickly. They had agreed beforehand that Luna would take them back to Harry's study to prepare Tom for meeting everyone, particularly his new family. When Harry thought about Tom he realised that he had already begun to think of him as his son, even after such a short time.

He thought about this as he made his way downstairs and found himself faced with a crowd that was getting increasingly louder. Harry hadn't taken into account the fact that it normally only took a second for them to return so people would be worrying. Couple that with the revelation that Harry was actually bringing Tom Riddle back into the universe, there was cause for people to be talkative. He was just happy that no sound could get into Lily's room.

When he reached the bottom step he took out his wand and cast a sonorous charm and coughed, making a few people jump. "It's done. He's up in my study right now," Talking broke out again but Harry pressed on, "I can assure you that this is absolutely _not_ the Tom Riddle we all knew. He is a love-starved orphan. If you saw his face when Ginny and I said we were going to adopt him you would know without a doubt that he is not Voldemort in any form.

"I will bring him down to meet you all soon, but first I think I need him to meet my family so he can get used to them. But before that, Minerva are you still here?" Minerva made her way to the front and Harry cancelled the charm.

"Yes, Harry? What can I do for you?" Minerva asked pleasantly. Harry could tell that she approved of what Harry had just done.

"My house has a connection to Kingsley's Office. Can you go and tell Kingsley that I've got Tommy?"

"Kingsley knows? Oh, and 'Tommy'?" Minerva asked in amusement. Harry smiled.

"He seems to like that name," Harry replied, "And yes. I thought Kingsley should know so I told him a little while ago. Could you also see whether Kingsley can organise some adoption papers for me and Ginny?"

"I'll do that for you, Harry. But may I ask, what should I tell the rest of the Professors?" Minerva inquired.

"Nothing right now. They'll get the pamphlet about the announcement. They can find out with the rest," Harry smirked. Minerva did the same. Harry had found that his former Head of House was actually very fond of pranks. She nodded.

"Sounds fun," She was about to turn but stopped, "Thank you, Harry. I lost a lot in the war and you've helped me regain some of what I lost."

"It was nothing, Minerva," Harry replied, "Now hurry up. Don't wanna keep the Minister waiting," Minerva glared at him before leaving. Harry laughed. It was then that he noticed Teddy standing next to him, with Remus and Tonks not far behind, "Hey Teddy. I was just going to come looking for you."

"What the hell are you thinking, Harry?" Teddy asked angrily, his hair a deep orange, "Tom Riddle caused the deaths of a lot of people. My parents. Yours! How could you even think about that?"

"Teddy Remus Lupin!" Tonks scolded. Harry held up a hand but Tonks continued, "Don't you dare talk to your godfather that way!" Harry had to admit, Tonks was scary when she was angry. Her hair and eyes both turned a fiery red and she looked like a fireball.

"But Mum, he –" But Remus cut him off. Harry knew that Remus was trying to calm Tonks as much as he was Teddy.

"Teddy. Just stop and think for a second," Remus said and Teddy sighed, "Do you really think that Harry would do something that would harm the Wizarding World?"

"Well, no, but –" Remus cut him off again.

"Do you think that he would do anything that would harm me or your mother?" Remus asked, raising his voice to be heard over his son.

"No. B –" He was once more cut off.

"Do you think he would do anything that would harm _you_?" Remus asked, emphasising the last word. Teddy was silent before he shook his head. Harry had to admit, Remus was a fantastic parent, particularly good considering he had not ever raised a teenager.

"Hug your godfather," Tonks commanded with a smile. Teddy obliged.

"Now, Teddy. What I was going to ask you was whether you wanted to come with me, James, Albus and Lily to meet Tom," Teddy looked at Harry in surprise.

"Why?" Teddy asked.

"It doesn't matter that you have your parents. I still consider you a son, so you will be involved," Teddy smiled as Harry turned to Remus and Tonks, "No offence guys."

"None taken, Harry," Tonks replied, "You did a good job. Exactly why we chose you as Teddy's godfather," Remus nodded.

"Okay. I will," Teddy said. Harry grinned.

"Alright. Can you do me a favour?" Teddy nodded, "Go and steal James and Albus from my parents and my grandparents will you?" Teddy smiled and nodded before leaving towards the area where the kids were.

"We don't mind, you know Harry," Remus said quietly.

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"We don't mind that you see Teddy as a son," Remus replied as Tonks gripped his arm, "You and Dromeda did raise him after all."

"Yeah. Better you then the old mutt over there anyway," Tonks joked, pointing to where Sirius was in his dog form letting David and Leigh pet him, "God knows how _he_ would have brought him up!" Harry laughed.

"Sometimes I thought it might actually have been a good thing Sirius didn't raise you, Harry," Remus said seriously. Harry looked at him curiously, "If you did you would have turned out _exactly_ like James did. As it turns out, you really only got his looks and sense of humor. Everything else is pure Lily."

"I dunno," Harry said quietly, "I would've liked to have been brought up by Padfoot," Harry then realised that Remus and Tonks didn't really know the extent of the Dursleys and stopped talking. Luckily for him, Teddy came back with the two boys, his hair now a deep blue.

"Where are we going, Dad?" James II asked.

"Just up to get your sister and then into my study for a little while. There's someone you two need to meet," Albus looked up at his father with a cute little smile on his face.

"Okay, dad. Let's go then," Albus then pulled at Harry's sleeve and pulled him to the stairs. Remus and Tonks were laughing as Harry was pulled away by his son. They all stopped in front of a room that had a door that said 'Lily' on it.

"You three wait here and I'll get Lily, okay?" The three nodded and Harry opened the door and immediately heard his little girl yawning, meaning she was awake and hadn't been for long, "Hey, Lily-Flower," His daughter smiled at him, "There's someone I think you need to meet."

"Okay, dad," The little red-head put out her arms and Harry picked her up quickly and carried her out of the room. As he shut the door, he felt Albus start to pull at his shirt towards where he knew the Study was.

"Alright. Alright," Harry said amusedly, "I'm an old man. I'm allowed to go a bit slowly," Teddy let out a snort and smiled as Albus seemed to take it seriously and pulled a little less hard.

When Harry got to the door of the study, he looked at his two sons. "I need you two to be good," Then he looked at James, "That means _no _pranks. At all," James frowned a little but Harry could tell from his eyes that he wouldn't do it, "Good," Harry said opening the door.

Harry then saw Tom sitting on his table which was now a great deal tidier. Tom seemed to be looking at each of the children in turn and, to Harry's amusement, looked shocked when he saw Teddy's blue hair.

"Okay, Tommy. You can hop down now," Ginny said. Tom obliged and landed on the floor.

"Alright Tommy. Introductions are in order," Harry leant down so that Lily was facing Tom, "This is Lily Luna Potter," Tom just looked at the young girl, obviously not knowing what to do. Lily, however, reached over and grabbed at Tom's nose before giggling.

"Got your nose!" She said as Harry, Ginny, Luna, Teddy, James and Albus laughed. Only Harry, Ginny, Luna and Teddy could truly appreciate the irony in that. Harry handed Lily to Ginny and put his hand on Albus' shoulder.

"This here, is Albus Potter," Harry said. Tom reached out his hand. Albus looked up at his father. When Harry nodded, Albus shook Tom's hand. Tom smiled at Albus who was grinning.

"This one here is James Sirius Potter," Harry continued. This time it was James to extend his hand. On any normal day, Harry would warn Tom not to take it, but he knew James would do nothing. Tom took the handshake.

"It's nice to meet you, Tommy," James said with a smile. Tom blushed a little.

"It's nice to meet you too, James," Tom said quietly.

"And I'm Teddy Lupin," Teddy said, walking forward and extending his hand as they shook hands, Tom couldn't stop looking at the older boy's hair.

"Why is your hair blue?" Tom asked curiously. Teddy smiled.

"I'm a Metamorphmagus," Tom looked confused so Teddy elaborated, "I can change my appearance at will," He then changed himself to look exactly like Harry, only shorter and without glasses.

"Whoa! That was neat!" Tom exclaimed as Teddy changed back to blue hair and his original face.

"My mum can do it as well," Teddy said proudly, "I got it from her."

Harry then went over and put a hand on Tom's shoulder. "Teddy already knows this, and I think James might have _some_ idea, but there is something you all need to know," Harry squeezed Tom's shoulder lightly, "From now on Tommy is going to be your brother."

Harry watched on in amusement as both James and Albus' faces lit up with that news. Albus ran forward and hugged Tom as the Tom awkwardly hugged back. Harry wasn't really sure that Lily could quite understand what was going on but it was Teddy that Harry was looking at.

Harry felt happy when he saw a genuine smile on his godson's face. Apparently actually meeting Tom helped Teddy to understand a bit. Harry, as he had done so many times in the past, felt immensely proud of Teddy Lupin. He turned out to be a wonderful boy.

As the commotion was still going on, Harry made his way to Ginny and kissed his daughter. "Do you think he's ready to meet everyone?" Harry asked quietly, watching as James was talking animatedly to Tom.

"I think so. He's handling it all really well," Ginny replied, "I told him about the family so he knows all that. He just has to meet them," Harry nodded.

"That's good. By the way, I sent Minerva to see Kingsley and let him know we got Tom and to get the adoption papers," He said as he watched Ginny nod before a nasty smile crept up onto her face.

"Let me make sure I understand you, Harry. You asked the Headmistress of Hogwarts who was also your very stern Head of House for seven years to take our fireplace to ask the Minister For Magic for adoption papers?" Harry nodded and Ginny laughed out loud causing the kids to look at her and Harry. Luna was also laughing, "Do you have _any_ idea how big that is, Harry?" Harry shrugged. He didn't like his fame very much, but it _was_ good to have people in high places.

Harry turned around and crouched down to talk to Tom. "How do you feel about meeting everyone now, Tommy?" Tom seemed apprehensive but nodded. Harry ruffled his hair, "Thanks," Harry stood upright again, "Alright you lot, we've got to go introduce Tommy to some people."

Harry was about to leave the room but he stopped when he felt a small hand tentatively grasp his. He looked down to see Tom looking very shy. Harry couldn't help but smile. Though Harry knew who this little, scared child would have turned out to be, he knew that he and Ginny had done the right thing. Even Tom Riddle deserved a second chance.

Victoire Weasley was conflicted. On one hand she couldn't have been happier. Her family was all back together and it seemed like there was going to be a lot more people around. Victoire was old enough to understand what had happened. Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny and a few other Aunts and Uncles found a way to bring back people that had died years earlier. Victoire was happy for that.

The problem was that it had overshadowed what the day was to her. It was her eleventh birthday. Victoire wouldn't have been concerned if it was her tenth or twelfth birthday. But it was her _eleventh_ birthday. It was the day she became eligible to go to Hogwarts.

Sure, she had gotten her Hogwarts letter in the morning and opened it excitedly while her parents and younger brother and sister watched on. Sure, they had a little party with just them. But it seemed like everyone else forgot about her. It was bad enough being born on May the second. It was a rough day for everyone. Victoire's dad, his parents and all her Aunts and Uncles, except Aunt Audrey and Aunt Gabrielle always spent that day really sad. Her mum was always okay, but Victoire sometimes wished she had been born on a different day.

Victoire had started reading the books about Uncle Harry when she was seven. Uncle Harry had convinced her mum and dad that a child at that age could read them all. He had personally read them himself so he knew that they were okay. Victoire was grateful that Uncle Harry had done that. While she knew what the books were about she still found that she enjoyed reading them. And the last book helped her to understand the importance of her birthday to everyone else.

Actually, other than Teddy Lupin, she was the first one of the kids to read them. It was decided among all the adults that the kids would have to wait until they were seven years old to read the books and they had stuck by that. Roxanne was the latest to start reading them and she was through the first two books. Victoire knew that because she had loaned the girl her copies of the books. Victoire, Molly II and Teddy were the only kids to have read all seven books.

Even after reading the books and quizzing her mum and dad, Victoire still had questions but her parents would not let her ask Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny, Uncle Ron or Aunt Hermione anything about it. _Maybe I can ask them while we're reading_, Victoire thought to herself. While she was thinking that she saw Uncle Harry descend the stairs holding a boy's hand who Victoire had not ever seen before. He was a little taller than James and was quite a handsome boy, Victoire thought. She had heard Harry talk about adopting Tom Riddle. The infamous Lord Voldemort.

Victoire had thought that it was actually a good idea for Uncle Harry to go and get him. When she read about young Tom Riddle in the orphanage and Dumbledore going to tell him he was a wizard, she felt a lot of sympathy for the boy. Not the man he became, but the boy at the orphanage. She knew that she would be lost without her parents and didn't like to think about what would happen to her if they were gone.

But there in front of her was Tom Riddle. He looked to be a bit older than eight but Uncle Harry had said that he was seven. Aunt Ginny leant down and whispered in the boy's ear. He nodded and walked over to Victoire.

"Hi. I'm Tommy Riddle," The boy said politely. Victoire almost giggled at him calling himself Tommy.

"I'm Victoire Weasley," She replied with a sweet smile. Tom's eyes widened slightly.

"In that case, Happy Birthday Victoire," Tom said shyly. Victoire smiled broadly at him.

"Thank you," She replied happily, flipping her blonde hair out of her face. From there, Albus, James and Teddy all said Happy Birthday. Teddy did what he always did on her birthday and kissed her on the cheek. That had started when Teddy was three and Victoire had her first birthday. Teddy kissed her on the cheek then and he did it every year after.

Victoire really liked Teddy. She had grown up with him and knew him better than anyone except Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny and Andromeda. She thought that it would be good to one day marry Teddy Lupin. But she knew that Teddy didn't think that about her. She was just a silly little girl to him.

Harry spent the next half an hour introducing Tom around to the rest of the room. Tom hardly ever left Harry or Ginny's side, but he was very polite and talked a little bit with everyone there. But it was what happened when Harry introduced him to Severus and Regulus, who were talking aside from everyone else.

"Severus. Regulus. This is Tom Riddle," Harry said happily. He saw a flicker of fear followed by amusement in both of the ex-Death Eaters' eyes. Regulus was the first to put out his hand.

"It's good to meet you, Tom," He said with a smile that had a little bit of amusement in it. Tom smiled.

"It's nice to meet you, Regulus," Tom said before shaking the hand of Regulus. As he did, Regulus let out a sharp gasp, "What's wrong?" Tom asked quickly, pulling his hand away just as quickly. Harry watched on with a worried look as Regulus grasped his left forearm before his eyes widened.

"Nothing, Tom. Nothing to worry about," Regulus said before looking at Harry and conveying his thoughts with his eyes. Harry nodded. Tom put out his hand to Severus.

"It's nice to meet you too, Severus," Tom said in a voice that made Harry wonder if Severus had ever been spoken to like that before other than by Harry's mum.

"Pleasure," Severus drawled as he shook the boy's hand. He too let out a gasp and grabbed his left forearm. Harry and Ginny shared a look while Tom looked confused and worried.

"Hey, Tommy. Let's go over and meet that man," Ginny said, "His name is Albus Dumbledore and he was the Headmaster of Hogwarts while I was at school..." Ginny seemed to trail off as Harry looked to Regulus and Severus.

"What the hell happened to you two?" Harry asked. He watched as both men pulled their cloaks' left sleeves up to reveal bare skin.

"It's gone," Regulus said breathlessly. Snape was just staring, "But how?"

Harry really didn't know how, but he knew that it had something to do with that little boy. It could only be a good thing, though. Voldemort wouldn't have made it as easy as his own touch to get rid of the mark.

"I think we'll need to consult the expert at a later date," Harry said, inclining his head towards Albus. Severus and Regulus both nodded, still holding up their sleeves.

Not long after that, Harry saw Minerva make her way to him. She was holding a folder in her hand. "Sorry I took so long. Kinglsey and I got to talking about all this," Minerva said, "We've both come to the conclusion that this is the single best thing that has happened to the Wizarding World in forty years."

Harry really couldn't help but agree. "I know. I just have to wonder what'll happen when the rest of Magical Britain finds out," Harry said, "We can't exactly send Luna off to get anyone. It would just be too much for her."

"I quite agree," Minerva said sadly, "And she's the only one who knows how to work the staff?" Harry nodded.

"Yes. We're thinking of just outright telling people that we won't get anyone else. I think that's a bit selfish though," Harry said.

"I suppose it is," Minerva agreed, "But is that such a bad thing? If people used it, they could just get _anyone_ at all. That in itself could be disasterous."

Harry sighed. "We'll deal with it when it happens, I guess," He then smiled at the Headmistress, "Would you like to meet Tommy?" Minerva let herself smile.

"That would be nice," She said uncharacteristically.

Harry helped to introduce Tom around to everyone remaining. To Harry's relief pretty much everyone accepted Tom fairly well. Amos Diggory treated Tom like he had treated Harry for a few years, but both Cedric and Cordelia snapped at him and he changed instantly. It was getting to be late so Harry, once again, cast a sonorous charm to amplify his voice.

"Can I have your attention one last time?" Harry asked and soon everyone was looking at him. Tom was standing very close to Harry on his left and little Albus was on his right, "I just want to tell you all that there will be a formal announcement tomorrow at Hogwarts in the Great Hall that you will all have to attend. Until then, you'll have to keep all of this a secret from anyone who doesn't know. Also, it might be best if you all come here or go somewhere else that is allowed access to the Headmistress' fireplace. I believe the Burrow and Augusta's are connected.

"Now, I am aware that a lot of you here will not have a place to stay. I'm sure that a few people around will have a place for you to stay. Minerva might even be able to sneak you around Hogwarts if need be," There was a chuckle at that statement and Minerva definitely smiled, "I'm sad to say that with six kids, my parents and both sets of my grandparents, Ginny and I have no room left. I do still own another house, but I'm not sure who can go there," Harry saw Sirius nod sadly. Apparently he knew where Harry was talking about.

"I'm sure we can work it out if we try hard enough. So with that, I'll say goodnight and I'll see you tomorrow," There was then a round of applause and Harry led his kids and Ginny off to where Sirius was standing.

"I'm sure you can go and stay at Grimmauld Place, Sirius," Harry said, "But I'm not sure about Regulus. I'm not sure what the Fidelius does to universe travellers. If he can recall the address then you can take him and maybe a few others. I don't think Susan's family will all fit in her house. Her parents live in a small cottage, so that doesn't help. They sold the manor after the war. Susan and her parents didn't have much use for it."

"Well, let's go talk to Reg then," Sirius said, "I know that I can remember the address so I can get there. Let's ask him," Harry nodded and led Sirius to where he had seen Regulus last.

"Hey Reg, can you remember where you live?" Sirius asked. Regulus nodded.

"Yeah. 12 Grimmauld Place. Why?" Regulus said. Severus raised his eyebrows.

"I take it the place is under Fidelius?" Severus asked. Harry nodded.

"Yes, it is. Regulus should not have been able to say it let alone say it in front of you," Harry confirmed.

"Would this have anything to do with the universe travel?" Regulus inquired. Harry shrugged.

"I have no idea, actually. There's another one for the 'strange' pile," Severus and Regulus both nodded quickly, leaving Sirius looking confused. Harry turned to Sirius, "Do you think you could house these two and possibly some of the Bones' for tonight? Susan only has a few rooms and her parents live in a small cottage. I doubt there will be enough room for all of them. Susan and her parents sold Bones Manor after the war. They didn't have need of it, really."

Sirius looked speculatively at Severus before nodded slowly, as if it physically hurt him to do so.

"Excellent," Harry said, "Are you okay with that Severus?"

"I'd rather be there then on the street. But he has to also take my mother," Severus said, not shifting his eyes from Sirius.

"No problem," Sirius ground out. Harry smiled because they weren't reverting to 'mutt' or 'Snivellus'. Just then Eileen Snape approached Harry with Myrtle.

"Harry," Myrtle began, "I need somewhere to stay."

"I was just talking to Sirius about that, Myrtle. If you'd like, you could stay with Eileen at Grimmauld Place," Harry informed Myrtle whose face lit up with the news.

"I'd like that a lot. Thanks, Harry," Myrtle said with a genuine smile, something Harry had never seen on the ghost version of the girl.

"Sirius, how about you go and talk to the Bones'?" Harry asked. Sirius nodded and swiftly made his way to where the Bones' were talking together, likely making arrangements for the night.

Harry turned to Myrtle. "You like Eileen?" Harry asked. Myrtle nodded very quickly.

"She's really nice. I like her a lot," Harry smiled at the girl. Perhaps Eileen would be the best one to take Myrtle in. They had already formed a bond. Plus with Myrtle's parents, the young girl and Severus may actually get along as well.

"That's great, Myrtle," Harry said enthusiastically, "So, you're okay with going with her to stay at Sirius'?" Myrtle nodded again and Harry turned to the rest of the people nearby, "If you'll excuse me, I need to go and talk to a few people," They all nodded so Harry moved off.

Harry went around and made sure that everyone who was retrieved had somewhere to go. Amelia and her parents, Susie and Robert were going to stay with Susan. Edgar, Patricia and their kids were staying with Sirius along with Regulus, Severus, Eileen and Myrtle. Frank and Alice were going to stay at Longbottom Manor with Augusta while Felula was staying with Neville and Hannah. Cedric was staying with his parents. Remus, Tonks and Teddy were staying with Ted and Andromeda. Mad-Eye, Albus and Ariana were staying with Aberforth. Fred was staying with George and Angelina. Fabian and Gideon were staying at the Burrow. Francis and Xenophilius decided to stay with Luna seeing as how Rolf and the kids were away. Harry and Ginny got Colin, Dennis, Tom, James and Lily, David and Leigh, and Charlus and Dorea.

Harry figured that until everyone got on their feet, James, Albus and Tom could share a room, Colin and Dennis could share a room, Lily could sleep in with Harry and Ginny and that left three other rooms for the three other couples. When Harry had the idea of making his own orphanage, he had the house expanded with the idea that he and Ginny would be housing some of the kids some of the time. They were still considering adopting some, but now that they had Tom to adopt and Colin and Dennis to house, Harry was beginning to think that may not be the best idea.

Just as people were getting ready to go, Harry announced that it was Victoire Weasley's eleventh birthday. There was then a loud 'Happy Birthday' sang to the girl who blushed. Harry then also mentioned that they had gotten Tom from when it was his birthday. Everyone then sang to Tom as well. Of course, Fred, George, Fabian and Gideon sang the wrong words, but it made the day right. Harry noticed that Tom had tears in his eyes.

Before everyone left, Harry was confronted by Hermione. In fact, she turned up so quickly that Harry actually jumped. "Merlin, Hermione! Did you have to do that?" Harry asked, smiling.

"Yes," Hermione said simply, "I was just thinking, Harry. I think it might be a good idea for my parents to come and read the books with us. I mean everyone who started this has their parents here. Well, except for Angelina, but we shouldn't go into that," Angelina and her parents had a falling out when Angelina decided to marry George. They didn't approve of her marrying a man who ran a joke shop, no matter how successful. They hadn't talked since Angelina announced the engagement, "And you know how my parents and I have drifted apart since we got them back from Australia. I just thought that since Ron and I were going there tonight for dinner anyway, maybe we could ask them to come and read the books with us."

"Hermione, slow down," Harry said, "First of all, they haven't read the books?" Hermione shook her head, "Wow. Okay. Secondly, of course you can. The more the merrier. Though, on that topic, I think it would be best to come up with places to do this reading."

"The Room of Requirement?" Hermione suggested. Harry shook his head.

"No. It's too obvious," He said contemplatively.

"Minerva might let us use the Great Hall," Hermione said. Harry shook his head.

"No. I don't want to put Hogwarts out like that," Harry said.

"We could just magically expand this room," Hermione said. Harry hadn't even thought of that.

"Brilliant! You'll help with that won't you?" Harry asked.

"Of course, Harry," Hermione said before kissing him on the cheek, "Thank you. I'll ask my parents tonight," With that she found Ron and the kids and apparated away to her parents' house.

Dan Granger, dentist, knew the significance of the day and was probably one of the only Muggles who did. He didn't really care all that much, though. He really didn't know anyone from the Wizarding World except his daughter, the Weasleys and Harry Potter. Harry Potter. The boy that captivated the muggle world. Of course, Dan and Emma would not read the books about him or watch the movies. They were still upset about what Hermione had done.

She changed their memories and sent them to live in Australia. Sure, Dan and Emma liked the look of Australia, but they had no plans of going to _live_ there. They had a successful practice right there in Britain. They were doing well and had no intention of moving. But Hermione made them anyway.

She'd told them what seemed like thousands of times over the years that it was for their own good. Dan could understand Hermione's point. She was saving them. It was very likely that that Voldemort character would attack them because of her. Apparently she had been more involved in that world than she had told them.

No, Dan and Emma could understand _why_ Hermione had done it. It was the _how_ that made them angry. Dan was pretty sure that he would have agreed to the change of memory and relocation if Hermione had actually talked to them about it. But she didn't. She just up and did it.

They didn't talk for a good year after Dan and Emma found out what their daughter had done. It was actually Ron Weasley who brought them to their senses. He had gone straight to their house and told them what Hermione was going through. Dan and Emma had both been shocked and immediately sought to reconcile. Hermione gladly agreed. Since then, their relationship was repaired, but still had visible cracks. Dan was beginning to wonder whether it would ever be fixed.

When Dan heard the two pops that meant that Hermione and Ron were there for dinner, he stood and greeted them with Emma. Emma immediately went into 'grandmother' mode and fussed over Hugo and Rose. Dan noticed that Hermione and Ron looked unusually happy about something, considering what the day meant to them.

"Why are you two so happy?" Dan asked them while playing with Hugo. Emma was nearby with Rose.

"We have huge news!" Hermione all but squeaked out. The last time Dan had heard that voice was when Hermione turned eleven and that cat-lady showed up and told her she was a witch.

"You're pregnant again!" Emma exclaimed. As Dan had suspected, Ron and Hermione shook their heads as one.

"No. You know why this day is significant to us?" Hermione asked. Dan and Emma nodded.

"It was the day that Harry defeated Voldemort," Emma said. Dan and Emma had met Harry a lot over the years and felt that they liked him, "But you also lost a lot of friends," Ron nodded.

"Yes, we did. But today Luna, you know her, she came to us with a staff," Ron began. Dan listened, completely enthralled as Hermione and Ron recounted the day's events. Dan was speechless. All those people were brought to this universe. Not only that, but they did it all in one afternoon. Dan really didn't know any of the people who they had gotten. But he knew that they were all very important.

"And Harry decided that, starting tomorrow after the formal announcement, we would all read the books, you know the ones, as a big group," Hermione paused, looking like she was deciding what to say next, "I was wondering if you two would like to read with us," Dan and Emma looked at each other. Dan was tempted to do it. Over the years he and Emma had been kept relatively out of the magical world, but this was a chance to meet a lot of its inhabitants. Dan could tell that Emma was absolutely in favour as well.

"Fine. We'll do it," Emma said.

"We'll read the blasted books," Dan added with a laugh.

Kreacher was working at Number 12 Grimmauld Place with Winky and, surprisingly to him, Dobby. Dobby had not said anything to Kreacher other than Master Harry had gotten him from somewhere. Kreacher didn't much care why or how. It was good to have a third House Elf to help share the load.

They worked for a little while before Kreacher heard the fireplace flare up. As he was not expecting anyone to stop by, he was naturally very curious so he went to the fireplace. And what he saw shocked him beyond belief. There stood the dreadful Master Sirius. Kreacher wanted desperately to berate Master Sirius but held his tongue. He was loyal to Master Harry and Master Harry had told him not to use foul names. So instead of using foul names, Kreacher kept his mouth shut, wondering how in the world Master Sirius was alive.

As he was contemplating this, the fireplace flared up again. Kreacher wondered who the evil, dreadful Master Sirius had brought with him. Kreacher's angry thoughts left his head the second he saw who it was. Actually, everything left Kreacher's head when he saw Master Regulus as he promptly fainted, hitting the floor hard.

When everyone had left, Harry flopped down on his lounge and let out a long winded sigh much to the amusement of everyone present.

"Long day, Harry?" David asked sounding very amused. Harry groaned.

"I woke up this morning, depressed because everyone who I retrieved today wasn't here. And somehow we end up bringing everyone here. I think this was a pretty big day," Harry said. He felt that was a huge understatement. Lily had made her way up into her father's lap and was trying to sleep. Albus and James were in their room playing, waiting for dinner and Tom was right beside him. Ginny, Leigh and Dorea had told their husbands that they would make dinner. Harry's mum said she would if she could actually cook.

"You should get an Order of Merlin for this, Harry," Charlus said. Harry's parents, Colin and Dennis all agreed. David and Tom looked a little confused.

"Can you get a second?" Harry asked. He laughed when all of the people present who knew what an Order of Merlin was simply gaped at him, "What? I got one in 1998. May 4th if I remember correctly."

"You got one at seventeen?" His father asked disbelievingly, "That's unheard of! What class?"

"First," His parents, Colin, Dennis and Charlus were all speechless.

"What's an Order of Merlin?" Tom asked.

"It's like a special award given to people who contribute a lot to wizarding society," Harry told him, "Albus Dumbledore was another who got First Class. That was for defeating Grindelwald. I think every Minister For Magic gets one, too. One of Sirius' relatives got one, but he said it was only because he spent a lot of money. There was one other, but that's a part of the books, so I won't mention it."

"And you got one?" Tom asked, "Why?"

"It's a part of the books," Harry replied, "I got First Class and Ron, Hermione, Neville and Molly got Second Class and a whole bunch, including Luna and the rest of the Weasleys, got Third Class. Personally, I think that Ron and Hermione deserved First Class just as much as I did, but Kingsley told me that they could only give out one First Class."

"That's quite a lot to give out in one year," Charlus commented, "Something big must have happened."

"Molly Weasley got Second Class?" Harry's dad asked, "What did she do?" Harry couldn't help it as he smirked.

"Oh, you just wait and see. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised," Harry said cryptically and grinning like a madman.

"So you're something of a hero in the Wizarding World, then?" David asked. Harry smiled.

"I think 'god' might be more appropriate," Harry said with a frown, "I don't like it, but it's hard to change people's minds. If I walked into Diagon Alley right now, I could ask for absolutely anything and they would offer it to me free of charge. I've not once accepted anything that way. I have a direct connection to the Minister, which is like being able to walk in and out of the Prime Minister's office whenever you like. If I said I supported a candidate for becoming the Minister, odds are that person'll win in a landslide."

"Are-are you serious?" His mother asked. Harry nodded.

"I don't like it. I don't want it. But I have it," Harry said, "That's why Ginny and I keep to ourselves here. It's just too much. In fact, I'm hoping that I can spin it tomorrow to take it all off me. They'll think that I _am_ actually God if they think I did all of this myself. I'm also going to ask them to stop. It's been thirteen years. Surely they can get over it."

"The Wizarding World never changes," His father said sadly. Charlus agreed. There was a slight silence before Harry was asked by his mum to talk off to the side. Of course, this meant Tom had to tag along. He was still not comfortable around anyone but Harry and Ginny.

"I think we need to talk to Petunia and tell her about this," Harry's mum said quietly, "She may not like _me_, but she loved our parents," Harry sighed and missed the concern in his mother's eyes.

"You're right. Of course, you're right," Harry said reluctantly, "I'll take you to see them in the morning," He looked down to see Tom listening in, "I think I'll also have to take this one as well," Harry said, ruffling Tom's hair. Tom laughed a bit, "That means Ginny will have to come. She can side-along you and I'll side-along Tommy."

"Side-along?" Tom asked curiously.

"It's a type of Wizarding transport," Harry's mum informed him.

"Okay then," Tom said happily. Harry, his mum and Tom quickly got back to the conversation. When they did, Harry noticed that Colin was taking a liking to Tom. It seemed like Tom liked him as well because he was talking with the older boy. Harry was actually a little surprised when Dennis was also enjoying Tom's company. Out of everyone who was in his house that day, Harry expected Dennis to be the worst about Tom. But the boy proved him wrong. He was treating Tom brilliantly.

Over dinner, Harry explained about his unwanted fame to Dorea and Leigh. He didn't want them all to be shocked when the press met him. They were just as surprised as the others. After dinner, Harry and Ginny took Tom up to the study by himself. As Ginny had done before, she sat Tom on the desk.

"As you probably noticed, we never actually signed any forms saying that you are our son," Harry said. Apparently Tom hadn't noticed or had no idea that it was necessary as he looked very worried and looked from Harry to Ginny looking frantic, "No. No. It's alright Tommy. I was just going to tell you that we have the papers."

"Oh," Tom said as he blushed, "I didn't know."

"I know," Ginny said softly, "It's alright."

"What we brought you up here to talk about is something on the form," Tom looked at Harry looking a little worried, "You see, Ginny and I could do this by ourselves, but we wanted to ask you something first. You can either keep the last name Riddle or you can change it to Potter. We want to know what you would like to do."

When Tom heard Harry say that he could change his last name, Tom couldn't have been happier. Once his last name was Potter, Tom felt that he could truly say he belonged in a family. It was something he'd wanted since he was very young and Harry and Ginny were going to give him it.

"Change it to Potter!" Tom said quickly and loudly, "I don't want to be Tommy Riddle. I want to be Tommy Potter!" Tom saw Harry and Ginny smile at each other before Harry picked up his writing implement which looked like a weird pencil to Tom. He had never seen anything like it before. Tom watched as Harry filled out a box on the paper with the name Tom Marvolo Potter. Harry then flicked over a few pages and signed in one box before giving Ginny the implement. She then signed in another box.

"We're almost done," Ginny said to Tom, "We just have to give this to the right people at the Ministry and you will officially be ours. But for right now, how about we just assume you're ours?" Tom could feel tears forming in his eyes as Harry spoke. Harry then put his arms around Tom and hugged him. Tom couldn't believe it was actually happening.

"But...what do I call you?" Tom asked tentatively. Harry let go and grasped Tom's shoulders.

"What do you want to call us?" He asked quietly. Tom looked at his shoes.

"Mum and Dad," He said quietly, feeling embarrassed as he spoke. Ginny squealed and hugged Tommy.

"Of course you can all us that!" She said, "We're your parents after all."

Now Tom could feel the tears in his eyes fall. He had never _ever_ cried in front of anyone before, but he felt happy that he could. It helped that Harry and Ginny were crying as well.

Not long after that, Harry and Ginny, Tom's new mum and dad, put Lily to bed in their room. Tom went with them and watched as his mum used her wand to put a charm around the little girl's bed so that she couldn't hear anything loud, but they could hear her if she needed them. Tom marvelled at the magic that could be performed. For the first time in his young life he looked forward to something. Going to Hogwarts.

About an hour after Lily was put to bed, James, Albus and Tom were put to bed as well. Apparently all the adults were going to bed as well. Tom watched as his dad showed him all the rooms before crouching down to talk to him.

"I know that the first night here will be difficult for you, Tommy. I just want you to know that you can come into me and your mother for anything. Anything at all. If you can't sleep, come and let us know. If you have a bad dream, come and let us know. Okay?"

Tom felt really safe and secure knowing that. He _was _a bit worried about the night. He had only ever slept in two places in his life. His room at the Orphanage and the bed he occupied in the nursery until he was four and could have his own room. He thought that it would be very difficult to get to sleep in a room with two other boys in it. Not only that, but Tom had a lot to think about. He wasn't sure that he _would_ get to sleep. He looked at his dad and smiled.

"Okay, Dad. I'll remember," Tom said quietly. He felt his dad wrap his arms around him and hug him. Tom still felt really good when his dad did that. Then his mum and dad tucked all three boys into bed and turned off the light.

Tom lay in his bed and talked to James and Albus for a little while before the two boys drifted off to sleep, Albus first and then James. Tom lay there on his own and thought about the day. He was right. He couldn't get to sleep. After a while he made his decision and got out of bed as quietly as he could, so he wouldn't wake James or Albus, and quietly made his way out of the door and into the hallway.

Tom knew precisely where to go. He got to his parents' closed door and knocked three times. He heard his dad say, "Come in," So Tom opened the door and walked over to where his dad was laying on his bed. Harry looked at him, "What's the problem Tommy?" He asked. He looked like he had been thinking. He noticed that his mum was asleep on the other side of the bed.

"I couldn't sleep," Tom admitted with a shy smile. His dad sat up in the bed and picked Tom up, sitting him on the edge of the bed.

"I didn't think you would be able to," His dad told him. Tom looked at his shoes, feeling embarrassed, "Do you want to sleep in with me and your mum for tonight? She's not exactly ready for a sleepover though."

Tom laughed at what his dad had said about his mum. He was surprised at what his dad had suggested. He had never even considered doing that before because it was never even possible. But he did consider it when his dad said it. He knew that he felt safe with his dad. Even if he still couldn't get to sleep, at least he knew that his dad was there.

"Okay," Tom replied. Harry smiled at him and moved more towards the middle of the bed. Tom quickly made his way under the covers next to his dad, snuggling into him so that his dad could hug him. Tom soon found himself drifting off to sleep, not worrying about anything anymore. He had never felt happier.

* * *

In her tower at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Sybill Trelawney was sleeping. She had spent her afternoon looking into her crystal ball, gazing into the future. She had seen people come into the world, one by one. She saw happiness and joy. But she had also seen peril. Peril and great destruction.

She saw her colleague Professor Kevin Ryan's demise as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

She saw Harry Potter, Ginevra Potter, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Hannah Longbottom, George Weasley, Angelina Weasley and Luna Scamander with a staff. An object of great and mystical magical powers.

She saw Teddy Lupin reunited with his parents.

She saw George Weasley reunited with his twin.

She saw Molly Weasley reunited with her brothers.

She saw Harry Potter reunited with his family.

She saw Aberforth Dumbledore reunited with his brother and sister.

She saw Neville Longbottom reunited with his parents.

She saw Hannah Longbottom reunited with her mother.

She saw Dennis Creevey reunited with his brother.

She saw Luna Scamander reunited with her mother.

She saw a young boy brought into a loving family.

She saw friends and family all reunited and happy.

And then...oh, how Sybill Trelawney wished that she did not have the Sight! She saw things that frightened her to her very soul. Things she wished that she could forget. Things that chilled her blood to just think about. In fact, she resolved herself not to think about them. Perhaps that day would be the day her Inner Eye was wrong.

Sybill Trelawney was sleeping. She was sleeping rather pleasantly considering what had occured earlier. But then she shot up, sitting upright in her bed, her whole body had gone rigid. Her eyes had glazed over and she began to speak. She spoke in a horse voice and looked like a raving madwoman.

When she finally finished speaking, her body went limp and she fell back, her head hitting the pillow. She was asleep once again. And she would never know what just happened.

The owl on the windowsill was the only living creature around to hear Sybill Trelawney speak. It hooted before taking off in flight, leaving Sybill to believe that she had a completely uninterrupted eight hours of sleep.

* * *

**_Authors Note_**

**I know that this is either early or late, depending on your view, but I wanted it to go up last night and I had no internet use so you get it now that I do.**

**I think by this point some of you are about ready to string me up by my eyeballs and flay me with whips for continuing on with all of this and not getting to the books. Well to that I say...meh. I'm enjoying writing all of this and I think it's pretty good. It seems that you all agree because this story is doing well. At least by my meagre standards I had set to begin with.**

**I hope you all liked the focus on Tom. I felt that it was needed because of he hype I had leading up to it. I realised while I was writing this chapter that I had completely forgotten about Victoire's birthday. I had to do something to rectify that. Also, Ginny listing all of the kids was more for you guys to know what's going on with all of the kids and how old they are. I'm also considering putting a list up on my bio saying what years the kids'll start Hogwarts just to help things along.**

**That last bit with Harry and Tom was something I had in mind since I started writing this. I hope I wrote it well.**

***SMIRKS* I decided at the very last minute to put that bit about Trelawney in there. I will say absolutely no more on the subject.**

**Thanks to _DrinkingAlcoholicRainbows_, _Estel Ashlee Snape_,_ Taeniaea_, _SokkasFirstFangirl_, _Reynardetta_, _Shinigami_, _XoxMountainGirlxoX_, _Chakahlah_, _Sarcarai_ and _My'Names'Amber'Louise_ for reviewing.**

_**DrinkingAlcoholicRainbows**_** - I hope you liked this chapter seeing as it's almost all about Tom. I felt it necessary after I built my story up to them getting Tom. Augusta is definitely one of my favourites to write. I don't know why, but this is how I've always pictured her. I also know a few old ladies who can be like her at times. I draw inspiration from them.**

_**SokkasFirstFangirl**_** - I really like writing Tom. There is so much to write about. I mean I've added bits and pieces to his backstory but I do think it fits in. Also, how he reacts to Harry and Ginny is how I think any child like that would react. I hope you liked this chapter. As for some of the other book reading fics, I can understand the idea of getting to the point, but my idea was too good to pass up.**

_**Shinigami**_** - Thanks for clearing that up for me. When I go through and do some editing, likely just after I begin the reading, I'll fix that up. I think you may be getting wandless and accidental magic confused. Wandless magic is basically accidental magic but after they've learned to control magic itself. Albus Dumbledore said that Tom was already able to focus his magic before Hogwarts. I see the difference between Tom and Harry as Tom wanted to do it whereas Harry didn't. I hope I did okay with Remus, Tonks and Teddy here. By the way, the bit about Kreacher was just for you. Hope you liked it.**

**_XoxMountainGirlxoX_ - Just for you I decided to include the Grangers. I agree that my story can be confusing, but I like to write it that way. I never planned the beginning to be this long. It just ended up this way.**

_**Sarcarai**_** - I hope I continue to do well enought to warrant being favourited by you. I'm the same way with reviewing. I rarely review, if I review at all. Normally it's with my other profile, though. I thank you for your compliments. I was very wary of doing a story where they read the books for the very reason that it's overdone, but I liked this idea so I went with it. Turns out it's doing well. I'm just happy people like it.**

_**My'Names'Amber'Louise**_** - Sorry I didn't include Albus fainting. I agree that it would be funny, but the way I'm writing him it just wouldn't work. I could do a one-shot where it happens though...hmm...I'll think about that.**

**The next chapter will be the final chapter before reading the books. I promise this time! It _will_ have the Dursleys, Malfoys and a surprise. It will also have the formal announcement, though I'm not sure how much of that I will actually write. I would have included all this in this chapter, but it got to 10,000 words and I thought I should leave it.**

**I just realised that this chapter takes 'Universal Shift:Reading Harry Potter' to over 100,000 words! HOORAY!**

******I think that's enough for today. Let me know what you think.**

******Beletrium/Koldrian**


	12. The Formal Announcement

_**Disclaimer**_** - I do not intend any copyright infringement. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. This story is purely for the enjoyment of fanfiction readers and the author. There is not any money being made from this story, nor will there ever be any made. Any mention of the _Harry Potter_ books is used as a purely entertaining source.**

* * *

_**The Formal Announcement**_

Ginny Potter woke at about half past seven to the feeling of her little girl waking her. Ginny swiftly, using her Quidditch skills, picked Lily off the ground and swung her over to go to put the girl in between her and Harry but quickly realised that there was no room between them. Not enough for Lily at least. She reluctantly put Lily on the ground and got out of bed with a sigh, trying to fix her hair. It was then that she decided to look at her still sleeping husband and her heart swelled with what she saw.

At some point after she had gone to sleep, Tom had come into the room and Harry let him in the bed with him. Harry currently had his arms protectively around the boy and they were both sound asleep. Lily had seen her husband like this with James, Albus and Lily before but something felt right about this. Perhaps it had something to do with the small smile playing on the face of Tom.

Ginny put her finger to her lips as she looked at her daughter. "Shh," The little girl mimicked her mother before Ginny rummaged through her bedside table to find her camera. Her magical one, that is. Her daughter was watching and giggling, though Ginny didn't really know if she understood what was going on. Ginny quietly moved around to the other side of the bed to get a good angle.

She raised the camera and took a photo. _Damn_, she thought as she realised too late that she forgot to turn off the flash. Both Harry and Tom woke quickly and Ginny put the camera behind her back and began to whistle. Ginny was actually finding it very hard not to laugh. Harry looked completely out of it, but Tom was thoroughly embarrassed and immediately left the bed and stood there staring at Ginny with a blush on his face.

Ginny probably stood there for about ten seconds without cracking a smile but it just became too much as she burst out laughing which caused both Harry and Tom to scowl at her. "Too late, you two. I've got photographic evidence of how cute you are!" Ginny said. Lily laughed and Harry smiled. For some reason, Tom scowled. "Morning Tommy. Did you sleep well?" Ginny asked, kissing her son on the cheek. Tom's face flushed again.

"I slept okay," He said timidly as Ginny smiled at him.

"That's great," Ginny turned to Harry who had just put his glasses on and was sitting on the edge of the bed. "We're taking Tommy and your mum to see Petunia this morning before the official announcement aren't we?" Harry blinked.

"Guess we are. I hope Vernon's in a good mood. I don't feel like dealing with him," Harry commented dryly. Ginny laughed.

"When do you ever?"

"Who are Vernon and Petunia?" Tom asked quietly.

"My aunt and uncle," Harry replied. "You'll learn all about them later when we read the books. Don't tell anyone else but they brought me up. In fact, I wouldn't mention it around them either."

"Oh. Okay. What should I call them?" Tom asked.

"Probably Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon if I were you," Ginny said. "Their son is living with them as well. His name's Dudley. He doesn't mind our kids just calling him that."

"He doesn't have a wife?" Tom asked curiously. Harry and Ginny shared a look.

"Well, he did. But it didn't work out. Dudley has two kids that stay with him and Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon," Harry replied. "They're names are Ivan and Eleanor. Ivan is four and Eleanor is two."

"Okay then. When are we leaving?" Tom asked, actually sounding excited. Harry smiled at him.

"How about we have breakfast first, huh? I'm sure I can make you some bacon and eggs," Tom looked confused.

"What's bacon and eggs?" Tom asked. Ginny gasped.

"You don't know what bacon and eggs are?" Ginny asked sounding concerned.

"Well, I know what eggs are. I've never had any before, though," Tom said quietly looking at his feet. "Never heard of bacon before."

Ginny pulled him into a hug. "It's really good, Tommy. You'll love it, I promise," Tom nodded and she let go.

Ginny sort of knew how Tom felt. Ginny had grown up in what some would consider to be a poor household. She often wondered what it would have been like to grow up with money like the Malfoys. Of course, she never wanted to actually _be_ the Malfoys. Just have their money. But, other than Bill, and maybe Charlie, Ginny had it best in her family. Being the only girl meant that it was difficult for her to get hand-me-down things like Percy, Fred, George and Ron did.

But Ginny did have to admit that she was pretty greedy as a little girl. Probably until the Chamber of Secrets when she thought about it. Ginny had almost died when the Sorting Hat told her that she would be a good fit in Slytherin. Luckily for her it told her that she belonged more in Gryffindor than Slytherin and sorted her in Gryffindor.

But then came the Chamber of Secrets. She shuddered at the memory of that period in her life. If it wasn't for Harry she wouldn't be alive. People might think that she had fallen in love with Harry then. But that thought was completely wrong. Sure, she had a crush on 'The Boy Who Lived' for as long as she could remember. This was largely due to her lack of interaction with other young boys. The only young boy that was close to Harry's age was Ron and he didn't really count.

No. Her crush intensified after that incident. But the problem was that she knew that it was simply a crush. She even talked a bit to Hermione about it. It took her until the end of her second year to finally get over the crush and start seeing Harry as Harry and not the Boy Who Lived. So for her third, fourth and some of her fifth year, they were just friends. And then they became more.

But even then, Ginny questioned what _her_ intentions were. Was it simply her crush manifesting again? Or was it something more? She never really got the chance to answer those questions because Harry broke up with her at Dumbledore's funeral. While she didn't like it, she knew that it was for the best. So, no, she did not fall in love with him in her fifth year.

Then Harry left to do what Dumbledore had left him to do. She didn't see him for months. But she still didn't think that she loved him. In fact, while she was at Hogwarts, she went out with Neville for a little while. Not really very long. Two months at the most. They never got past kissing. But she knew that she didn't want to be with Neville so she broke up with him and didn't date anyone again until after the Final Battle. Neville understood completely and thanked her for helping him through Hogwarts, Snape and the Carrows. In fact, just a few short months later, Ginny was the one to push Neville and Hannah together a bit.

Even during the Battle, she wasn't sure if she loved Harry or not. It was great seeing him again, but she still wasn't sure. It wasn't until Hagrid carried Harry's body into the Great Hall that she finally knew without a doubt that she loved Harry Potter. Not the Boy Who Lived. Not the Chosen One. Harry Potter. She was absolutely devastated. And then he 'rose from the dead' and beat Voldemort.

Ginny would be lying if she said that she didn't hero-worship her husband a bit, but she loved him more. She knew that it was no mere crush. They were certainly in love.

When Harry served Tom and James II their breakfast, Tom stared at it in wonder for a few seconds before eating it. He told them afterwards that it was the best. James II looked at him strangely but Harry took him aside to talk to him about Tom's past. Luckily for Harry and Luna, David and Leigh were early risers along with Albus so they had already given him breakfast and were playing with him as Ginny's other two sons ate.

When Harry and James II finished talking, Ginny and her mother-in-law were pulled aside by Harry. "Mum, do you think we should tell your parents that we're going to see Petunia?" Ginny noticed that Lily flinched when Harry used Petunia and not Aunt Petunia.

"If we do, then they'll want to come with us," Lily reasoned. "I think it's best if we wait and see if Tuney wants to see them first," Ginny nodded along with Harry.

"I agree," Harry replied smiling. "Tommy's excited," Ginny squeaked as she remembered the picture.

"I have to show you something Lily!" Ginny said she went to leave, but turned back. "I can call you Lily right?"

"Of course you can Ginny," Lily smiled. Ginny smiled back and ran off to her and Harry's room to grab the photo. When she had it she raced downstairs. She immediately gave the photo to Lily.

"Awww," Lily said. "They're adorable!"

"I know! I'm thinking of putting that photo up somewhere," Ginny said happily. Harry looked at the photo and smiled.

"He was having a hard time sleeping. I just did what I'd do with any of my children and let him sleep with me. It seemed to work cause Ginny woke us up with that blasted flash!" Harry mock-scowled at her. Ginny knew that Harry liked that picture as much as she and Lily did. He was really a softie when it came to their kids. "It's eight thirty now. I think Petunia and Dudley would be finished breakfast. Vernon'll be at work by now. That is a good thing, let me tell you."

Lily was nodding but Ginny could tell that she was nervous about seeing her sister and her family. "Wait. Dudley still lives with them?" She asked, realising what Harry had said.

"He and his wife split up. He got full custody of the two kids. Ivan is four and Eleanor is two," Harry replied. "He isn't working for now as Vernon is rather successful at Grunnings. He has enough to provide for all of them."

"Oh. Okay then," Lily replied. Ginny wondered how she would take it when she learnt how her sister had brought Harry up. "We may as well get going and get it over and done with."

Harry nodded and walked over to where James was showing Tom the television. Tom was quite impressed by it and was reluctant to go with Harry, but he did. Not a surprise really. Ginny didn't know what would happen if Harry went somewhere without Tom. When they were all standing together, Tom looked up at Harry.

"What do we do, dad?" Ginny knew he was excited but he sounded a little apprehensive.

"You just have to take my hand and I'll apparate us to Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia's house," Harry replied, taking Tom's hand. "How about you watch your mum and my mum first?" Tom nodded and turned to Ginny. All of a sudden she felt a strange sense of pressure. She looked at Lily.

"Surely you would know where your sister lives?" Ginny asked. Lily shook her head.

"I know the address, but that isn't enough. I've never been to her house," Lily said, a hint of sadness in her voice. Ginny felt for her, knowing the story of her and Petunia growing up. Ginny hoped that Petunia would have the right mindset to accept her sister now like she didn't so many years ago.

Ginny felt Lily grab hold of her hand and Ginny spun on the spot and they were almost instantly at the front door of Number 4, Privet Drive.

Petunia Dursley was no longer normal. Her life had not been 'normal' since her nephew was left on her doorstep all those years ago. She and Vernon took their nephew in, but they did not want to. The only thing that stopped Petunia from sending the boy away was the fact that he was the only thing of her sister that she had left.

Petunia had hated Lily. She would never deny that fact. She knew now that it was misplaced anger at something that she didn't quite understand. When that...Severus was his name?...told Lily that she was a witch, her sister was extremely happy. That wasn't Petunia's problem. The problem was that _she_ wasn't a witch. She wasn't magical. That was the problem in plain terms. Petunia Dursley wanted to be the opposite of normal.

Alas, it never happened and she grew to resent Lily because of what she was not _who_ she was. Petunia knew that, without a doubt, her sister was a lovely and brilliant person. Someone you could be proud of to call a sister. But she wouldn't have it. She was angry because Lily was something that Petunia could never be.

And because of that, Petunia took it out on her nephew, who she also knew didn't deserve it. At least after she got back to her house again she did. Since that day she had been trying to make amends. It was _very_ slow going, but she was expecting it to be so. Vernon assured that he wouldn't say anything against Harry or his wife or his kids. And he kept that promise. He rarely spoke at all when they were around.

It was strange the connection that Petunia felt with James II, Albus and especially Lily II. They treated her almost like a grandmother and Petunia tried her hardest to be one to them. She never would be. Lily was their real grandmother and she didn't deserve them acting like she was. Not after Harry.

Now, Dudley's kids were a different story altogether. Dudley had married a wonderful girl, Alexandria Fuller, and had two kids with her. But it went awry about a year after Eleanor was born. Alexandria became a very heavy drinker and began to sleep around. It all came out into the open when she announced that she was pregnant with another man's baby. Naturally, Dudley took her to court and got full custody of the children because of how terrible the mother was. He was now back living with Petunia and Vernon and Petunia was very happy for that indeed.

Petunia was working in her kitchen on the morning of May the third and wondering why she had the feeling that the day prior was important somehow. Vernon had left for work and Dudley and Petunia had just fed the kids. Dudley was playing with them in the living room. She suddenly heard a crack and knew what it was immediately.

"Dudley? Did Harry and Ginny say that they were coming over today?" Petunia called to her son.

"Don't think so," Dudley called back. Just then there was a second crack followed by the doorbell ringing. Petunia heard Dudley open the door. "Harry! Ginny! It's good to see you."

Petunia stopped her work immediately and went into the living room. "Where are the kids?" She asked, voicing the first question on her mind.

"Well, James, Albus and Lily couldn't come right now. We brought someone you will want to be introduced to though," Harry said while moving from the doorway. A black-haired, pale boy walked in looking quite shy. Petunia guessed him to be around about eight or nine based on his height. "This is Tom."

Petunia moved forward a bit. "It's nice to meet you Tom. When did you come to be with Harry and Ginny?" Petunia asked politely.

"They got me yesterday. They're my mum and dad now," Little Tom said proudly. Petunia looked to Harry and Ginny.

"So you adopted him?" She asked curiously. Ginny nodded.

"We did. It's a rather long story," Ginny said. Petunia got the feeling that she wasn't telling everything.

"Perhaps you ought to be sitting for this next bit Aunt Petunia," Harry said. Petunia raised an eyebrow at him but sat on the couch nonetheless. "Yesterday, one of our friends, Luna Scamander, got visited by a man who gave her a staff. This staff has the ability to move across universes and through time," Petunia's eyes widened at the sheer weirdness.

"What does this have to do with me?" Petunia asked. She saw that Dudley was looking a little confused.

"Well," Harry began, "All of yesterday afternoon we spent our time retrieving people that were lost to the last two wars in our world. Tom was one of these."

Petunia felt herself go a bit woozy. "Wh-what does that m-mean?" She asked, daring not to hope. And then she saw another figure appear behind Harry, Ginny and Tom before they moved away. "Lily!" Petunia shrieked, getting straight to her feet and looking at her long lost sister.

"Tuney," Lily said with a sad smile. She then made her way over to Petunia and hugged her. Petunia found that she had tears in her eyes as she hugged the sister she thought she would never be able to apologise to.

"Lily...I'm so sorry...so sorry...for everything," Petunia said, sobbing. Lily hugged her tighter.

"Don't worry Tuney. I forgive you. Let's just put it all behind us and start again," Lily broke away from the hug and looked at Dudley. "And you must be Dudley then?"

"Uh...yeah," Dudley said, looking from Petunia to Lily to Harry. "And you...you're Aunt Lily?" Lily nodded.

"I am," She paused. "Well aren't you going to give me a hug?" Dudley did as he was told. Lily then looked at the two kids on the floor. "And this must be Ivan and Eleanor, then?" The two kids in question giggled. Lily then swooped on them and picked them up and engulfed them both in hugs. In that moment, Petunia realised how much she could have had, had she not been consumed by jealousy.

"What about mother and father?" Petunia blurted out. Lily smiled at her.

"They're at Harry and Ginny's looking after the other three kids along with James, Charlus and Dorea, who are James' parents," Lily replied. Petunia felt happier than she had in many, many years. "They don't know we're here."

"Can I see them?" Petunia asked hopefully.

"Of course, Aunt Petunia," Harry said with a smile. "In fact, I wanted to invite you to come to our place over the next week or two everyday. We've decided to read the books about me to get everyone we retrieved up to speed."

"How many people will be there?" Petunia asked, mulling the offer over in her head.

"How many did you say Luna said, Gin?" Harry asked, turning to his wife.

"Seventy-six, not counting Minerva, will be there for the reading hopefully," Petunia had to fight to keep her jaw in place.

"Seventy-six?" She asked in amazement. "How many did you get yesterday?" Harry thought for a minute.

"Thirty-five if I count right," Harry replied.

"In one afternoon?" It was obvious that Harry was enjoying seeing Petunia this way, but Petunia really didn't care.

"The staff is pretty amazing," Ginny said simply. Petunia closed her eyes, taking in all the information.

"Okay. I'll go to read these books. Dudley will make the final decision for him and the kids," Petunia said finally. Anything to see her parents again. Dudley seemed to not even need to think.

"We'll go. I imagine there'll be loads of kids there?" Harry and Ginny nodded.

"Yeah. Twenty-one under the age of seventeen," Harry replied, "But only the ones over the age of five are going to actively be involved with the reading."

"You might also like to know that Harry and Ginny have also taken in two kids who have no parents, one of which they retrieved from the past yesterday, until they're old enough," Lily said proudly.

"They're more like friends," Harry said. Petunia nodded.

"How will we get to your place?" She asked quickly, wanting to see her parents.

"I take it you've never side-along apparated before?" Dudley and Petunia shook their heads. "Well I'll demonstrate with Tom here and then I'll come back for one of the kids. Ginny will take one as well. Mum, you take Aunt Petunia and I'll come back for Dudley."

"It was nice to meet you, Aunt Petunia," Tom said timidly. Petunia couldn't help but smile.

"It was nice to meet you too, Tom," She said. Tom then took Harry's hand and they disappeared with a crack. Petunia bit back the frightened scream. Harry was back again within seconds.

"It's a bit disorientating the first time, so be warned. I'll take Ivan?" At the sound of his name, the little blonde boy ran to Harry and Harry picked him up, tickling him before he disappeared with a crack. Ginny went and picked up Eleanor and was soon gone herself. Harry returned with a crack and looked to Dudley. "Well, Big D? You ready?" Dudley definitely didn't look ready but he grabbed Harry's forearm and then they disappeared.

"Let's go, Tuney," Lily said, extending her hand. Petunia looked at it for only a minute before grabbing it, not even worrying about what Vernon would think when he came home to an empty house.

Harry watched as his Aunt Petunia had a tearful reunion with her parents, wondering how a woman like that could ever have been the terror she was when he was growing up. Sure, she had changed since the end of the war, but was it enough? It was a bit late. She had already stuffed him inside a cupboard for ten years. It occurred to Harry that he shouldn't hold onto that hate.

_It's hard not to_, He thought to himself. That much was true. When someone experiences as much as Harry had, they find things difficult to forget. Would he ever have a relationship other than simply blood with Petunia. No. He really didn't think he would. Dudley maybe, because he was brought up to hate Harry. Petunia had the choice. There's the difference. It all comes down to choice. Petunia made her choice. Vernon made his choice.

Harry had to admit that he was a lot closer with Dudley since the end of the war. They wouldn't be winning any 'Best Friends' awards any time soon, but things were better. Harry liked the two kids. It was strange at first to see two kids running around in Number Four actually having fun. But it was even stranger seeing Petunia reprimand them like she hadn't done with Dudley. Apparently she was trying to make up for the mistakes she made in the past with Harry and Dudley.

"Harry. What are you going to wear to the announcement?" Ginny asked him, interrupting his thoughts.

"Haven't really thought about it," Harry admitted. "Just normal black robes I guess. I hate the fancy stuff," Ginny nodded. "I think I might just take Tommy into Muggle London for a little while before the announcement to get him some clothes. That alright with you?"

"That's a good idea, Harry. You know he's still wearing the clothes he was wearing yesterday?" Harry nodded.

"That's why I'm going to take him," Harry said. "He's too tall to wear any of James' clothes so he needs some of his own. We shouldn't be too long."

Harry found Tom and took him out shopping. There was an apparition point close by a Muggle shopping centre that Harry used. They spent about an hour there before apparating back at about ten o'clock. When they got back home, Tom looked up at Harry with his hands full of bags.

"Thanks dad," Tom said shyly before putting the bags on the ground and hugging Harry.

"You're welcome Tommy," Harry replied. "Now how about you go up to your room and put one of your sets of clothes on and then we'll leave to go to Hogwarts?"

"Okay," Tom said before hurrying up the stairs. Harry then noticed that a lot of people were now at his house. He didn't really have time to talk to anyone as he went up and got changed himself. He ran into Colin and Dennis on the way. They, too, were wearing the same clothes as they had been the day before.

"Hey, Harry," Colin said happily.

"Hey there Colin. I didn't even give you guys a thought when I took Tommy to get some clothes," Harry looked at Colin. "I reckon some of Teddy's clothes would fit you, Colin."

"Okay. Where do I find some?" Colin asked. Harry lifted his wand and silently summoned a shirt and pants and gave them to Colin. "Cool. I'll just go and get changed."

Harry turned to Dennis. "Sorry, Dennis. I'll take you shopping straight after the announcement. I'll just transfigure these clothes into something nicer for now."

"Alright," Dennis said. Harry could tell that he was still the man that had gone into a deep depression but was just a bit happier. Harry transfigured the clothes he was wearing into something that fit Dennis better and looked a bit nicer.

"There you go. I've gotta go and get changed. You and Colin meet me downstairs and we'll Floo to Hogwarts with Ginny and the kids. Alright?" Dennis nodded so Harry went into his room and got changed. When he was finished, he checked in on Tom who was just pulling on his second sock. Harry sat with him as he put his shoes on.

Harry found Ginny, Colin, Dennis and the kids waiting for him near the fireplace. Harry stood next to her and cast a _sonorous _charm. "Alright everyone," Harry said, his voice louder than usual. Everyone in the room turned to face him if they weren't already. "Ginny and I are going to Hogwarts first with our lot. To get there you need to say 'Hogwarts Headmistress' Office'. Anyone who hasn't travelled this way needs to be informed on how to do so safely.

"Now, when we get there, anyone who was retrieved needs to stay in Minerva's office so that no one knows that you're there. We will make the announcement first and then you can all come into the Great Hall," Harry stopped the charm and looked to Ginny. "Could you teach Tommy how to do it now? I want to talk to everyone here about him for a second," He whispered. Ginny nodded and turned to Tom, telling him what to do. In fact, she got James II to show him how to do it.

When Tom had successfully done it, Ginny followed with Lily II and Harry recast the charm. "I will not be telling everyone of Tom's identity," Some people began to murmur but a few nodded their heads. "Everyone knows Voldemort's real name now and Tom doesn't. He'll obviously find out during the books, but I'd rather it happen that way then let him be mobbed by people when he doesn't understand why."

Everyone nodded their approval. "Excellent. Whoever isn't here needs to be told so I hope you can tell them?" Albus Dumbledore spoke up.

"I'll take that job, Harry. I need something to do anyway. Ariana and I will follow you through," Albus' eyes were twinkling.

"Thank you Albus. Well then, I'll see everyone there," He cancelled the charm and turned and picked up little Albus who was not allowed to Floo just yet. "Colin, Dennis. You two can go before me. You've done this before?" Both boys nodded and took some Floo powder. Colin went first and Dennis followed. Harry grabbed a handful of the powder and walked into the flames. "Hogwarts Headmistress' Office!" He shouted and he began to swirl around before finally stumbling out of Minerva's fireplace. He didn't fall, but he very nearly did. Albus was laughing in his arms so Harry tickled him as he walked away from the fireplace.

"Uh...Harry?" Dennis began. "I don't really think I should be seen either."

"I guess you're right," Harry said, looking at the boy. "Well you can just wait here with Colin then. We'll explain the de-aging feature of the staff."

"Okay Harry," Dennis said with a smile. Harry put Albus on the floor and he immediately ran to James II. Harry found Minerva talking to Ginny.

"Is Kingsley here yet, Minerva?" Harry asked.

"Yes, he is. He's in the Great Hall getting ready," Just then Neville exited the fireplace followed by Hannah, Augusta, Frank, Alice, Luna, Xenophilius, Francis and Felula. They had all come from Longbottom Manor.

"Neville, Hannah, Luna. It's good you're here. Ginny and I were about to head down to the Great Hall. You'll have to come with us," Harry looked specifically at Luna. "You have the staff don't you?"

"Oh, yes, Harry," Luna waved to her left ear. "It's up there. I found that it's an effective way to keep the nargles away."

"Brilliant," Harry turned to Minerva. "Do you mind missing the beginning of the announcement? I thought it might be good if you brought in the retrievals when it needs to happen."

"That would be an honour, Harry," Minerva said. "I also took the liberty of inviting the entire school to the announcement. They deserve to know. In fact, I cancelled all classes because of it," Harry's jaw almost dropped. Minerva McGonagall cancelling classes? What had the world come to?

"That's fine Minerva. Can you just let Ron, Hermione, George and Angelina know that we need them in the Great Hall when they get here?" Minerva nodded so Harry took little Albus' hand but found Tom looking up at him.

"What do I do?" He asked worriedly.

"Well. We aren't going to expose you to the whole magical world just yet, so you can come with your mother and I. We'll tell everyone the truth. That we adopted you and that your name is Tom Potter. No one needs to know that we retrieved you," Harry said kindly. He saw Tom let out a breath. Harry then took Tom's hand with his other one and led him and Albus out of the room, following Ginny, who was carrying Lily II, and James II.

Harry had always marvelled at the spectacle of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but even more so after the Final Battle. The castle was completely rebuilt after it was nearly destroyed. It was amazing to be a part of the rebuilding and Harry felt that it was the best feeling in the world to do it knowing that they had rid the world of Voldemort.

When they reached the Great Hall they found that it was already full with everyone there for the announcement. Harry looked around the room and saw a lot of people that he knew. Padma and Anthony Goldstein, who had their twins with them. Lavender and Seamus Finnigan who had their son David with them. The eternal bachelor Dean Thomas. Daphne Greengrass and Blaise Zabini who were to be married in a few short weeks. Parvati and Ernie Macmillan with their kids. The last people who Harry set eyes on were the ones that he was most surprised to see.

Draco and Astoria Malfoy were sitting with Narcissa and their young son Scorpius. Harry wasn't exactly surprised to see that Lucius wasn't with them because he seemed to fade out of the public light extremely quickly after Voldemort's downfall. Since the end, Harry and Draco actually became on a first-name basis, which came as a huge surprise to Ron. Harry had no problems with the Greengrass' and liked Astoria and Daphne.

Harry expected to be the centre of attention as he walked through the Great Hall, and he was not disappointed as all eyes were on him and his family. Harry felt Tom and Albus go closer to him as the whispers started, more than likely about Tom being there. As Harry reached where the teachers table would normally be, Kingsley put out a hand. Harry dropped Albus' hand and shook Kingsley's hand.

"All set?" Kingsley asked, his low voice only being heard by Harry, Ginny and the kids.

"Yeah," Harry said as he put a hand on Tom's shoulder. "You haven't met Tommy yet, have you Kingsley?" Kingsley looked down at Tom and smiled.

"No, I have not. How do you do Tommy?" Kingsley asked. Tom still looked a bit wary but shook Kingsley's hand. Kingsley turned back to Harry. "When the rest of your group get here, I'll introduce you and you do all the talking. Frankly, I don't have a damn clue what's going on really," Harry laughed along with Kingsley.

"That's fair enough Kingsley," Harry said with a grin. "Sometimes I wonder how the hell this all happened. Wouldn't trade it for the world."

The Hall filled with the rest of the people who were coming and soon Ron, Hermione, Angelina, George and their kids all turned up and made their way to the front. After greeting them all, Harry nodded to Kingsley who cast a _sonorous_ charm on himself.

"Good morning and welcome," Kingsley said loudly. The whole Great Hall quietened. "I know that you are all very eager to hear what this 'huge announcement' is so, without further ado, I will hand the stage over to Harry Potter who will make the announcement."

There was a loud applause as Harry cast a _sonorous_ charm. When they had all quietened, Harry began to talk. "As I am sure you all know, yesterday was an important day for our society. May the second was the anniversary of the downfall of one Lord Voldemort," There was not even a flinch in the crowd as Harry continued to speak. "I, just like most people, was in a state of delayed mourning on the day and stayed at home with my family and some friends.

"Before I continue I would like to acknowledge the tragic deaths that occurred on May the second, 1998. I think a minute's silence would be appropriate," The Hall was deathly silent for a minute and Harry began to talk again. "These people gave their lives to protect our society from a threat more powerful than any other. These people gave their lives for you. To this day, I remember the people who died for my own reasons. Whether I like it or not, I was the reason the Final Battle even occurred. I feel a sense of personal responsibility for each and every death.

"Which is why, when Luna Scamander came running into my living room and telling us something I stopped and listened. Luna Scamander told me that she had a way to bring people who were lost back to our world," Harry wasn't at all surprised when there was a collective gasp before the murmuring began. "I know you all must think I'm crazy for believing such a story, but I knew that Luna would never lie to me. Not about something as close to my heart as this.

"The story goes like this. Luna was visited by a wizard known as Yargly," There was a mixture of shock and confusion present in the Hall. "He gave her a magical staff infused with all of his magic. One of the abilities of this staff is the ability to travel across the many universes. It can also be used for time travel and aging people up or down. I think, by the look on a lot of your faces, you know where I'm going with this.

"We spent yesterday afternoon retrieving some of the people who tragically lost their lives due to the last two wars. I believe Minerva has them just outside the Great Hall so now would be a good idea to bring them in," The big wooden doors at the back of the Hall flew open revealing Minerva McGonagall leading the retrieved into the Great Hall.

"For your benefit, I will go through and name every person we retrieved," Harry paused. "James Potter. Lily Potter. Fred Weasley. Colin Creevey. Sirius Black. Regulus Black. Remus Lupin. Nymphadora Tonks. Albus Dumbledore. Ariana Dumbledore. Frank Longbottom. Alice Longbottom. Severus Snape. Cedric Diggory. Felula Abbot. Alastor Moody. Amelia Bones. Edgar Bones. Patricia Bones. Marilyn Bones. Stephen Bones. Dale Bones. Susie Bones. Robert Bones. Fabian Prewett. Gideon Prewett. Ted Tonks. Charlus Potter. Dorea Potter. David Evans. Leigh Evans. Myrtle Tomlins. Francis Lovegood. Eileen Snape."

The crowd in the Great Hall was applauding with every name, even the ones that they didn't know. As well as those names, Xenophilius, Teddy, Cho, Susan, Aberforth and Dennis were walking with the group up to the top of the Great Hall.

"As you can see, this was not an easy job," Harry said once everyone was standing with him. "I think now would be a great time for questions."

"Can you show us the staff?" Yelled a Hogwarts student, Ravenclaw based on his robes. Harry turned to Luna.

"Luna?" She nodded and stepped forward, pulling the wand-like thing from behind her left ear and enlarging it. The crowd was amazed and applauded. She shrunk it and put it back behind her ear as Harry stepped forward again.

"Who's that with you?" Dean yelled. Harry smiled at him.

"I recently adopted a young boy," Harry put his hand on Tom's shoulder. "His name is Tom Potter. I got him from an Orphanage," This seemed to placate the Hall as someone asked the dreaded question.

"Can everyone use the Staff?" Yelled another student who looked to be in Slytherin. Harry opened his mouth to answer but at that moment that doors to the Great Hall burst open causing everyone to look behind them in shock. Harry had his wand out in no time. So did pretty much everyone with him, Moody was fighting the urge to fire curses. When a figure walked into the Hall, Luna gasped.

The man was very tall, probably about six foot six and had long black hair. He was wearing a long dark cloak that billowed behind him as he walked. He had a thick beard. His eyes were a deep black and he didn't look like a very nice or happy person. Harry also saw a scar that went across his right eye. The man was holding a staff that looked exactly like the one Yargly gave to Luna.

"No," The man said as he quickly made his way to the front.

"Yargly," Luna breathed. Harry looked at her in shock. He was expecting someone who looked more like Dumbledore not someone like this.

"Yeah. That's right. I'm the Yargly that you've all heard about, some just now," The man said in a deep voice, though not as deep as Kingsley's. When he finally reached the end of the Great Hall he stood eye to eye with Harry.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Harry asked.

"I was answering the question that was asked. No, everyone cannot use my staff. If that happened it would always be used and whenever anyone died people would just bring them back. I cannot allow that because it would create too many problems in the world," Harry couldn't help but agree with Yargly. Apparently Yargly had used a _sonorous_ with the staff he held. "Besides, this world can only really continue with death. Yin and Yang and all that."

When Harry nodded, Yargly turned to the Great Hall. "Many of you may be wondering why I'm here or why I gave Luna that staff. The answers to both questions are very simple. But I will answer them in time. Let's start with why I disappeared.

"When I found that I could go across universes, I decided to leave and 'travel'. Simple as that. You may not know it, but I have lived thousands of lifetimes. I've lived through your wars hundreds of times. I've been on both sides. I've been neutral. I've won. I've lost. But the one thing I did was stay away from the primary universe. This one.

"I realised after a few times how much losing the people you lost because of the last two wars, hurt all of you. That's why I gave the staff to Luna. I tried this in many other universes and made sure I could get it to work the way that I think that it should. When I was confident, I came to the primary universe and sought out Luna Scamander and handed her one of my staves and told her to bring back into the universe the people she had lost.

"It seems as if it worked well, but now I must take back my staff. I do not intend for it to be used again by anyone except me for many, many millennia. Put simply, this universe will not use my staff again. It's got back some of your dead and that's all it will do," He turned around and Luna handed him the shrunken staff. But he didn't put it away. In fact, he enlarged it. "There are a few things that I feel that I must do, however. Firstly I need Dennis Creevey to step forward."

Dennis was obviously very nervous but still stepped forward. "Dennis Creevey. I know full well of the torture you went through in the last thirteen years. I do not hesitate to do this because you will be able to be a child again," Yargly raised the two staves and crossed them. They emitted a yellow glow as he did so and Dennis' eyes went out of focus for a second before he grinned in a way that Harry hadn't seen his do in years. "Dennis Creevey now has no memory of the last thirteen years except for what is necessary for him to know. He will be tortured no more.

"Albus and Aberforth Dumbledore, step forward," The two older men in question stepped forward, no hint of nervousness on their features. "You are going to now look after your sister. I ask you, do you wish to be of younger ages?"

"Yes," Both Albus and Aberforth said immediately.

"So be it," Yargly said before doing the movement to de-age them both. Harry, and the rest of the people in the Great Hall, watched as both men went from being as old as they were to being about thirty. "Also, I will provide you with a bit of wisdom I have acquired over my many years. It was Grindelwald," Albus and Aberforth both had relieved looks upon their faces as they both understood what he meant. So did Harry when he thought about it. Not many people in the Great Hal truly understood what that meant.

"I would ask Alastor Moody to step forward but I doubt he would let me anywhere near him with these staves," He laughed as Moody eyed him funny with both eyes. "Wouldn't want to get rid of the battle scars, either, I imagine," Moody was nearly smiling, Harry noticed.

"Remus Lupin step forward," Harry watched as Remus walked forward and looked Yargly in the eye. "I can cure it if you wish me to," Yargly said. Remus' eyes lit up.

"Do it," Remus said simply.

"So be it," Yargly crossed the staves again, but they glowed blue this time and something flew out of Remus before vanishing. It looked strangely like a wolf. Remus was crying by that point as he stepped back and hugged Tonks.

"I believe that is all I wanted to do," Yargly said, looking back over the group. "I now know that everything is good here. Don't ruin your second chance," He looked down to Tom and touched the boy's forehead before pulling away. There was a flash of bright white light as he disappeared into thin air. There was a stunned silence in the Hall until Kingsley coughed after using the _sonorous_ charm.

"Well then...uh...that was unexpected. Well, I would like to say that on behalf of the Ministry of Magic I welcome everyone who was retrieved yesterday afternoon and I hope you can all be integrated well into our society," There was then applause for all of them. "This official announcement is now over, so I think you might all like to personally welcome these people back to our world."

The large group at the front of the Hall scattered except for Harry, Ginny, Colin, Dennis and the kids when Kingsley stopped Harry from leaving. "Did you organise that Harry?" Kingsley asked.

"No. It was a shock to me. Although, I'm kind of glad. I didn't really want to answer that question," Harry admitted. Kingsley nodded.

"It's not really a good question to have to answer is it?" Kingsley asked. "Anyway, I just had to know. I'll go and mingle now," With that, Kingsley left.

Harry and Ginny were about to leave the front when they were approached by four figures they did not expect. Narcissa, Draco, Astoria and Scorpius Mafloy walked to them. Narcissa and Draco had unreadable expressions, but Astoria and Scorpius were not so bad. They both had smiles and Scorpius looked like a normal kid. Harry was happy for that because he didn't want another Draco Malfoy walking around Hogwarts.

"Harry," Draco said as he nodded.

"Draco," Harry replied as Ginny and Astoria greeted one another a lot more informally as they showed off their kids. Well, except for Tom who did not leave Harry's side.

"Quite a show there, Harry," Draco said. "Did you set that up with Yargly?"

"No. He turned up unannounced," Harry replied.

"Harry Potter," Narcissa began. "I would like to convey my thanks to you for retrieving Sirius and Regulus. It may not seem it, but I do love them dearly."

"My pleasure, Narcissa," Harry said with a smile. "I'm sure they'll be happy to meet with you. I understand you still talk to Andromeda occasionally?" Narcissa sighed.

"I wish we were closer. She was my favourite sister after all," Narcissa said. "I just didn't have the guts to leave with her," Apparently Draco hadn't heard this story as he looked quite shocked for a few seconds before gathering his composure again. Harry noticed that Draco was looking at Dennis and Colin who were standing with Harry.

"Anything wrong Draco?" Harry asked sounding a little annoyed. Draco looked at Harry.

"I was sure that Dennis Creevey survived. Wouldn't that make him...twenty-seven? He doesn't look muc older than twelve," Draco asked. Harry realised that Draco was right, even though Dennis was actually fourteen. Harry was a little surprised that Draco didn't say anything about Colin and Dennis being muggle-born. Draco realised that Harry thought this. "I don't really have anything against muggles or muggle-borns anymore Harry. I don't believe the pureblood tripe," Harry raised his eyebrows.

"That's great Draco," Harry said, "Dennis _was_ twenty-seven but we took his age down so that he could finish his Hogwarts years with Colin. He didn't finish after the war."

"Ah. That makes sense," Draco turned back to Colin and Dennis. "Please don't use what I used to be against me. I'm not like that anymore," Colin and Dennis both nodded.

"We won't," They said in unison. Colin then spoke on his own. "It's been thirteen years, Draco. I would think that would make you change a bit."

"Yes, it does. I think I can attribute that to Astoria. She's really changed me," Draco said with a sort of reverence in his voice.

"Well Draco, Narcissa. I was wondering something," Harry said. "We, that is the group of people who were retrieved and some family and friends, are going to read the books that were written about me by that squib Seer. You're welcome to join us if you like. Lucius is as well if he is agreeable."

"Uh...I don't think so," Draco said quietly. "I don't think many people are going to like the fact that I'm there while they're reading the books. I'm sure I'm a large part," Harry laughed.

"That you are, Draco. But if you're there, everyone will know that _I_ invited you so they will know that you're alright now," Harry said in a convincing voice. Apparently Astoria had been listening in because she chimed in.

"We'll go, won't we Draco?" She said pointedly, looking at her husband. Draco sighed.

"Yes, dear," Harry couldn't help but laugh at Draco being so whipped. He looked to Narcissa.

"I, for one, would like to. It would give me time to reacquaint myself with Sirius and Regulus and allow me to get to know Dromeda's family," Narcissa said, obviously thinking. "Lucius will not go for it, though. But he will not object to my attending. If anything he will tell me to so that I can, as he would put it, 'gain alliances'," Narcissa scoffed. "Sometimes I wonder why I tolerate that man."

"So that's four more then?" Ginny asked. She received nods from Draco, Astoria and Narcissa.

"How many are going to be there?" Astoria asked.

"With all of you, that's eighty-four including the kids. There are now twenty-eight under-seventeens in total," Ginny replied. All three sets of eyes widened.

"That's quite a lot," Draco commented. "At least now Scorpius will get a chance to play with a lot of kids. Where is it at?"

"Our house," Harry replied. "The Floo address is 'Potter Hideaway'."

"When should we be there?" Narcissa asked.

"One o'clock is when we'll be starting. I know that you don't work so you'll have heaps of time to spare. The full series should take at least two weeks to read in total," Harry told them. "We'll start with the first book this afternoon and go from there."

"Alright. We'll be there," Narcissa replied. "Now, if you don't mind, I think we should go and see my cousins."

"Of course," Harry said, picking up Albus. "We'll see you then."

The next half hour was spent talking to old school friends until Harry decided to tell everyone to head back. He really wanted to get started with reading the books. If they didn't start soon it would simply take too long. Luckily, everyone was agreeable and they all piled into Minerva's office and all made their way to Harry and Ginny's house, letting Hermione and Harry go first so that they could make the room bigger.

When they all stepped into the enlarged room, even Albus Dumbledore was surprised at the sheer size of the room. It was nearly as big as the Great Hall, yet it was still just the same size on the outside. Tom, David and Leigh were the most shocked to see it. Harry had also conjured quite a few extra couches and reclining chairs. At the praise they got, Hermione and Harry were all smiles. Harry had one last thing for Hermione to do so he took her aside.

"Hermione, I was thinking," Harry said quietly. "I don't think the names of the books should be on the front. They give too much away."

"That's true. They do," Hermione said thoughtfully. "I think the same of the chapter names as well. I know some charms to cover up words in books."

"Only you, Hermione. Only you," Harry laughed. He took her up to his study and brought down the seven books. _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_ was the first for the main title and chapter titles to be removed, followed by _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_, _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_, _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_, _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_, _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_ and _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_.

* * *

_**Author's Note**_

**Well there it is. The long awaited final chapter before the reading commences. I think by now you all should be able to see exactly why this is going to be fun for me to write the reading. There are eighty-four that are going to be there with about eighty actually reading/commenting.**

**How did you like my surprise with Yargly showing up? I know I liked it.**

**I put in the thing about Ginny and Harry in there because I had to make the relationship something I feel okay with writing, which i can't do based on canon information. To me, Harry/Ginny in canon doesn't work because it seems like Ginny is still hero-worshipping Harry. That's why I wrote what I did from Ginny's perspective. I hope you liked it.**

**So now, the stage is set. 199 chapters to get through now. Yip-freaking-ee. If I don't want this to go forever I'll have to try and do two or three chapters a day. Once my exams finish, not the end of next week but the end of the week after, I'll have heaps of time so I should be able to.**

**I was just wondering, seeing as there are two James', Albus', Lily's and Fred's, do you think I should write something like James Sirius or James II? I was thinking James II because I don't have middle names for Molly II and Fred II. In that case I will edit it to fit in my earlier chapters. **

**Thanks to _monkeymail_, _starxwind_, _Taeniaea_, _MissCHSparkles_, _SokkasFirstFangirl_, _sassyx15_, M_y'Names'Amber'Louise_, _Dragon0328_, _BARON2462_, _DrinkingAlcoholicRainbows _and _loretta537_ for reviewing. It means a lot to me that you do.**

_**monkeymail**_** - I'm mostly doing it on purpose, but sometimes I don't realise until later that I've actually done it. It happened again in this chapter.**

_**starxwind**_** - I think people _are_ going to be hostile to Petunia and Dudley, but you have to remember that people will know that Harry invited them. Basically it will happen but not as much as it should. To your second review, I'm trying to keep the idea canon. Sadly, it seems like people expected Harry and Ginny to get together in canon. I don't agree wih it, as I said above, but I need to keep it canon. For this story at least. I can't remember if I wrote Albus meeting Albus Severus. I may add it in when I edit my past chapters.**

_**Shinigami**_** - I don't know that Jamesn II's pranks will be overly bad, but he will be kept in line. I would expect Kreacher to do nothing less than burst into tears when he woke up. I might write some Severus-Myrtle interaction in a later chapter. I plan on doing interlude chapters every nine or so chapters they read. I don't want it to be all reading. I don't see Hermione as arrogant really. She just believed that she was right. There is a difference. I do agree with you though. Dan and Emma have a right to be angry. I don't like reading fanfics where they just accept it. She changed their lives completely and didn't inform them. A little wrong if you ask me.**

_**My'Names'Amber'Louise**_** - I'm not really sure which House he'd be in. Going based off where the canon Tom Riddle would be sorted other than Slytherin it owuld probably be Ravenclaw. Mine does have a chance of being in Hufflepuff though. Wouldn't that be something? The rest of it is my little secret. *Maniacal Laughter***

_**DrinkingAlcoholicRainbows**_** - I see now where your penname comes from. Lol. I had to have the prior chapters because it annoys me when I read one that starts reading after somehting like just a prologue. I like a good story in there. Plus, mine has the potential for a sequel which is always good. I like writing the combination of humour, seriousness and morbidity. I think this one is more on the happy side though. Which is weird because I currently have three actual stories going. This one is all about happiness. _Harry Potter and the Tears of an Angel_ is a lot more sad and depressing while _Harry Potter and the Unfortunate Son_ (found at 'Beletrium') is kind of in the middle. I guess I'm just a flexible writer. Thanks for the compliments and even the impersonations.**

**Alrighty then, that's it for me. I may have the first chapter of the reading up later today if I get it done. Depends on what I end up doing. No promises.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**Beletrium/Koldrian**


	13. PS 1 The Boy Who Lived

_**Disclaimer**_** - I do not intend any copyright infringement. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. This story is purely for the enjoyment of fanfiction readers and the author. There is not any money being made from this story, nor will there ever be any made. Any mention of the _Harry Potter_ books is used as a purely entertaining source. All content in this chapter in bold is owned by J.K. Rowling and not me. I use it to further my story.**

* * *

_**PS 1: The Boy Who Lived**_

Harry decided that, since the books were rid of all of the titles, he could take them all downstairs straight away rather than one at a time. He figured that it would be interesting to see people's reactions to how big some of the books actually are.

Harry had read the books before and, strangely, enjoyed them when they weren't talking about the death of someone he knew. He found that it was enjoyable like a history lesson about the topic would be. Enjoyable when talking about the good moments and upsetting when talking about the bad moments.

He did read all of them and every part of all of them. He would freely admit to the tears that flowed down his face when he read about Cedric being killed by Wormtail, Sirius falling through the Veil, Dumbledore being killed, Fred's death, Remus and Tonks' death and Colin's death.

Surprisingly, Harry could watch the films easy enough. They weren't overly accurate enough but Harry still got a reaction when he saw the deaths. He had yet to see the final film, but he knew that it would be the toughest. He was especially looking forward to seeing this 'epilogue'. The author of the books was able to See a little bit, but only about the present time really. She got the names and dates right, but, obviously, things were going to be very, _very_ different.

When Harry got to his lounge room, he actually jumped because he was so used to it being a lot smaller than it was then. He laughed and continued onwards. As he did, he saw the fireplace start and then out walked Draco Malfoy followed soon by Astoria who was carrying Scorpius and then Narcissa. Harry put the books down on a table near where he had a seat saved between Ginny and Tom.

"Glad you could make it," Harry said.

"Malfoys keep their word," Narcissa said with a smile.

"Sirius and Regulus are sitting near Dromeda, Ted, Tonks, Remus and Teddy. I'll conjure a couch for you near them," Harry waved his wand in the direction of where they were all sitting and another couch formed which made Sirius jump. Harry chuckled at the sight before turning back to the Malfoys. "Scorpius could go and play with the other kids if he likes."

Astoria nodded and looked at Scorpius. "Go and find the other kids and play with them for a while okay Scorpi?" She said. Scorpius got on his tiptoes and kissed her before running off. "Thanks for that, Harry. They are being watched aren't they?" Harry couldn't help but laugh.

"Between my parents, Molly, Arthur, both sets of my grandparents, Hermione's parents Dan and Emma, Neville's parents Frank and Alice, and Augusta I think they'll be alright," Harry smiled as he spoke.

"I guess that is a lot of grandparents then isn't it?" Astoria laughed.

"How did you get a house with such a big living room?" Draco asked. Harry bit back a laugh.

"I didn't. Hermione and I expanded it this morning," Harry replied.

"Wow. That's impressive," Draco said before regarding Harry with a serious look. "That's why I don't believe the pureblood tripe. You and Hermione were able to do this and you're a half-blood and a muggle-born respectively."

"I wondered when you'd see the light," Harry joked.

"Anyway, we should get going to our family. When does the reading start?" Narcissa asked.

"As soon as I give the book to Luna," Harry replied. He received two curt nods from Draco and Narcissa and one happy nod from Astoria before they left to sit on their newly conjured couch. Harry went to his seat and sat down. He cast a _sonorous _charm before speaking.

"We will now begin the reading of the first book. Hermione and I have decided to blank out any titles, including chapter titles, because they give away too much about what's going to happen," Harry smirked. "Can't let anyone have any information. Gotta keep it fun. There is no set order that we have to read, but everyone will get a chance."

Dudley, Fred, George, Fabian and Gideon all groaned much to the amusement of everyone present.

"Why are some of the books thicker than others?" Dudley asked worriedly. He was obviously thinking about how much reading would be involved. Harry shrugged.

"More happened those years," He said dismissively. "I think, since she was the one to start all of this, Luna can read first," Nearly everyone in the room murmured their assent. Harry banished the book in Luna's direction. "Before we start, however, I would like to set some ground rules. Firstly, no offensive spells may be used on anyone present," Harry shot looks to Fred, George, Fabian, Gideon and Sirius who he knew would be the worst. "Secondly, I will tolerate verbal anger to a point and I reserve the right to silence _anyone_ who goes too far," He didn't even have to look at them this time to get his point across.

"Thirdly, anyone in this room who knows what's going to happen in the stories, don't spoil it for those who don't know. If you aren't sure who knows, just assume they don't. And finally, just have fun. Comment if you feel the need to, but please don't take too long. Don't take it all too seriously. Shut it Sirius!" Sirius shut his mouth and pouted while a lot of people laughed at his expense. "Alright then, Luna. I think you can get reading."

"Okay, Harry," Luna said dreamily before fixing her eyes on the now open book in front of her.

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. **

Everyone in the room who knew who she was looked to Petunia.

"Why is it starting with them?" Lily asked worriedly. _This isn't good_, Lily thought to herself as James wrapped his arms around her.

**They were the last people you'd ex pect to be in volved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.**

Petunia blanched. She was like that all those years ago. Vernon still was. She knew immediately that these books would not be very positive about her. She looked over to the other couch to her left that Lily was sitting at and saw that she was biting her lower lip which meant that she was worried._ Even Lily didn't think I would do well with Harry_, Petunia thought sadly, _And I let her down_.

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills.**

"Drills?" Harry heard Tom ask. Some of the others in the room wanted to know as well, mainly Arthur. Harry was about to answer, but Hermione beat him to it.

"A drill is a hand tool, a power tool, or a machine with a rotating cutting tip or reciprocating hammer or chisel. They are used by Muggles for making holes," Hermione said as if she was reciting the dictionary.

"Okay then," Tom said, apparently satisfied with that answer.

**He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. **

Harry couldn't help it. He burst into laughter. So did Fred, George, Ron, Ginny and even Dudley and Petunia. When the last two laughed, everyone looked at them.

"What?" Dudley asked. "That's bloody spot on. He really doesn't have any neck does he?"

"I love my Vernon," Petunia said with a smile. "But I can't deny that at all."

**Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. **

Petunia pursed her lips together while a lot of people present started to laugh.

"She's as bad as Lavender!" Ron said. Petunia didn't know who this 'Lavender' was but knew that it wasn't a compliment what he had said. Petunia bore it though because she knew it was all just karma getting her back.

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

Dudley seemed to puff out his chest at that, with a fake pompous look on his face. "I must say, that is a wonderful compliment," Dudley joked. If Harry didn't know any better he'd think Dudley was imitating Percy who had apparently noticed the link himself and was blushing.

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. **

"They're really martians from outer space who eat brains for a living," James II said quickly as everyone laughed. Harry and Ginny both decided at that moment that they needed to stop him from watching television as much.

**They didn't think they could bear it if any one found out about the Potters. Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; **

Lily already knew that and was already expecting it. She had long before accepted how Petunia had treated her when they were kids.

Severus was looking at Petunia with undisguised anger. _How could anyone treat Lily like that?_ He wondered to himself before the memory of calling Lily a mudblood flashed before his eyes and he averted his gaze.

**in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursley-ish as it was possible to be.**

"That's not a word," Petunia said. Everyone looked at her and she just looked back. "Well it isn't."

**The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

"Oh no, not the evil Boy Who Lived!" Colin said loudly before smirking at Harry. Harry smiled back.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley in to his high chair.**

"Oh, come on!" Sirius exclaimed. "I can't see the point of this at all! Who cares what tie the whale picked? When do we get to Hogwarts?"

"Just listen, Sirius," Harry said as Sirius shrunk back a little. Beside him, Regulus was laughing.

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.**

"Of course not," Fabian said.

"They were tending to the Dev – I mean baby," Gideon finished with a smirk.

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, be cause Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. "Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got in to his car and backed out of number four's drive.**

"That's how you raised your child?" Patricia Bones asked Petunia who wouldn't look her in the eye.

"We were new at it," Was Petunia's feeble excuse. Patricia snorted as Luna kept reading.

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar — a cat reading a map. For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen — then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. **

James dramatically drew in a breath. "I _wonder_ who that could be? Any ideas Padfoot?"

Sirius scratched his chin in mock thought. "No one comes to mind, Prongs. Moony?"

"Hmm. I really don't know, Padfoot. It must just be a mystery. Oh well," Remus sighed theatrically and slumped back into his chair at the same time Sirius and James did.

**What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. **

"Classic Muggle thought process when they see magic," Arthur stated. "There are really lots, but that seems to be the most used one but –"

"That's enough for now Arthur," Molly said calmly. Harry and the Weasleys all smiled at Arthur's enthusiasm.

**Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the cor ner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive — no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs. **

By that point everyone in the room who knew who the cat was were smirking. Even David and Leigh knew. It seemed like it was only most of the kids, Petunia and Dudley who didn't know. Tom was looking at Harry in confusion so Harry leant over and whispered to him.

"You'll find out in a minute," Harry said. Tom nodded and listened to Luna.

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.**

"Did he get it?" Luna suddenly asked, looking at Petunia.

"What's that?" Petunia asked distractedly.

"Did he get the order of drills?" Luna asked.

"Oh...no I don't believe he did," Petunia replied with a frown. Luna shook her head.

"Must have been the nargles. Blasted things!" She said before continuing on.

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by some thing else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. **

"I wonder what they might be?" Charlie asked sarcastically and earned a glare from his mother.

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. **

"Pretty long fashion then," Albus said jovially. "It's been going on for hundreds of years now."

**He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. **

"Weirdos?" Frank yelled. "Who does he think he is?"

"Now, calm down Frank," Alice said, trying to calm her husband. Frank looked at her but became silent when she wouldn't budge.

**They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt — these people were obviously collecting for something … yes, that would be it. **

"You see!" Arthur cried. "There it is again!"

"Quiet Arthur," Molly said.

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.**

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at night time. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made sever al important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. **

"Sounds pleasant," Felula commented.

"Yeah. Sounds like a real dear," Audrey said sarcastically. "How can anyone be in such a bad mood all the time?"

**He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery.**

"Well I was wrong wasn't I?" Audrey said which made everyone laugh.

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

"**The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard —"**

"— **yes, their son, Harry —"**

"Wonder who that could be, Hermione?" Ron asked jokingly.

"No idea, Ron. Never heard of a Harry Potter before. Anyone else know who they're talking about?" Hermione addressed the group.

There was a loud 'no' from most present. Harry even joined in.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say some thing to them, but thought bet ter of it.**

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking …**

"Ah...stroking the mustache. If that isn't the sign of a villain then I don't know what is," Dennis said which gained a few laughs from those familiar with Muggle film and television.

**no, he was being stupid. **

Harry let out a singular laugh.

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. **

"Wait," Angelina interrupted. "He didn't know his own nephews name?"

"Petunia and I had a...falling out," Lily replied sadly. "Vernon never really liked me or James so chose not to pay attention to us. I'm not surprised he doesn't know Harry's name."

"That's terrible!" Angelina and Molly exclaimed together. Everyone else seemed to agree with them.

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so up set at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her — if he'd had a sister like that … but all the same, those people in cloaks …**

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that after noon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight in to someone just outside the door.**

"**Sorry," he grunted, **

"What do you know?" Charlus said. "He has some manners!"

"Charlus!" Dorea said sharply, though she was smiling at him.

**as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all up set at being al most knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split in to a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passers by stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"**

"Idiot!" Moody suddenly exclaimed, making everyone near him jump. "It's no wonder we had to work so hard that day! Obliviations everywhere! People need to have some sense!"

"I quite agree, Alastor," Albus said sadly. "Though you cannot really blame them. They had precious little to celebrate for so long," Moody simply grunted and said nothing.

**And the old man hugged Mr. Durs ley around the middle and walked off.**

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hur ried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

"'Didn't approve of imagination'?" Cedric said. "That's ridiculous. Imagination is what sets humans apart from everything else."

"Well said, Cedric," Ginny said.

**As he pulled in to the drive way of number four, the first thing he saw — and it didn't improve his mood — was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.**

"It has to be!" James exclaimed. "It has to be her, doesn't it Padfoot?"

"I think so, Prongs! I would be surprised if it wasn't!" Padfoot said happily. Remus just shook his head and turned to Tonks.

"It's so good to have them back. You have no idea," He told her. She smiled.

"Well, anyone who makes you happy is sure to make me happy Remus," Tonks said before kissing him.

"Merlin! Get a room you two!" Teddy said with a smile on his face.

"**Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.**

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look. Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. **

Most of the room laughed.

**Trying to pull himself together, he let himself in to the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!"). **

"Smart kid," Draco scoffed. Even he wasn't stupid enough to not do what he was told when he was a child.

"You're just lucky Scorpius didn't overuse that word like you did," Narcissa told him slyly. Draco had never realised that he was quite that bad as a child.

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went in to the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

"**And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The news caster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"**

"**Well, Ted," **

"That's me!" Ted Tonks said happily. Narcissa and Draco looked at him funny as Andromeda hugged him, with a look in her eye that she hadn't had for years.

**said the weather man, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly to day. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night ear ly — it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."**

"Sounds like the work of that fool Dedalus Diggle," Moody grumbled. Albus smiled, his eyes twinkling.

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his arm chair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters …**

"Could he be..." Fred began with a wondrous look on his face.

"Putting all the pieces together?" George finished with a lot of awe in his voice. Petunia felt that her family was getting what they deserved so stayed quiet but looked over to Lily.

**Mrs. Dursley came in to the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er — Petunia, dear — you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

**As he had expected, Mrs. Durs ley looked shocked and an gry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

"**No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

"**Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls … shooting stars … and there were a lot of funny-look ing people in town today …"**

"**So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

"**Well, I just thought … maybe … it was something to do with … you know … her crowd."**

**Mrs. Durs ley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son — he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"**

"**I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.**

"**What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"**

"**Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**

"Boo!" Ginny, Fred, George, Ron, Bill, Charlie, Dennis and Colin all cried.

"**Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."**

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Durs ley crept to the bedroom window and peered down in to the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for some thing.**

**Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did … if it got out that they were related to a pair of — well, he didn't think he could bear it.**

**The Dursleys got in to bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quick ly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind. … He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in any thing that might be going on — he yawned and turned over — it couldn't affect them. …**

**How very wrong he was.**

"Dun dun duuuuuh," Teddy said loudly.

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting in to an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was show ing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped over head. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.**

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck in to his belt. He was wear ing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buck led boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling be hind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

"An apt description," Albus said happily. He was seated next to Ariana who was listening to the story intently.

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. **

"Oh, I knew," Albus said.

**He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for some thing. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

**He found what he was looking for in his in side pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. He clicked it again — the next lamp flickered in to darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. **

"That's cool!" The two sets of twins and all of the kids who were listening said at once.

"I am glad you all think so. I made it myself," Albus said proudly. "Although, I believe it is called the 'Deluminator'."

**If any one looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

"**Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

"Damn! I was rooting for it being Merlin!" Sirius said suddenly which caused a fair bit of laughter.

"Can't win them all can we Padfoot?" Remus said jokingly.

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.**

"**How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

"**My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

The room broke out into snickers. So much so that people were happy that Minerva wasn't there.

"**You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

"**All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."**

**Professor McGona gall sniffed angrily.**

"**Oh yes, every one's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no — even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls … shooting stars. … Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice some thing. Shooting stars down in Kent — I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

"Always liked that woman," Moody said.

"**You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

"**I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."**

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?"**

Pretty much everyone knew the answer to that question.

"Who's You-Know-Who?" Tom asked. Harry had to fight the urge to cringe at Tom asking that question.

"It'll be answered soon enough, Tommy," Harry said as he put an arm around Tom and squeezed him a little. Lily II had found her way onto Harry's lap by that point and was trying to sleep while Albus II was playing with Rose at Harry's feet. James II was over sitting with Fred II.

"**It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"**

"**A what?"**

"**A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."**

"**No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone —"**

"**My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense — for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort." Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any rea on to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."**

"Why would anyone be frightened of that name?" Tom asked quickly.

"The book will answer that, don't worry," Ginny told him.

"**I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."**

"You got Professor McGonagall to say the name?" Fred and George said together before getting off their couch and bowing. "You are the King, sir!"

"It's good to know that I have at least some subjects. Up! Up you peasants!" Albus said pompously. Everyone laughed at him which caused his eyes to sparkle.

"**You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

"**Only because you're too — well — noble to use them."**

"**It's lucky its dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

"Too much information!" Teddy and Victoire said together before blushing.

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that what ever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.**

"**What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are — are — that they're — dead."**

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

"**Lily and James … I can't believe it … I didn't want to believe it … Oh, Albus …"**

"It's nice to know that she cares," James said dryly as Lily clung to him.

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know … I know …" he said heavily.**

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potters' son, Harry. But — he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're say ing that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke — and that's why he's gone."**

**Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

"What?" All of the people who died before that point exclaimed.

"**It's — it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done … all the people he's killed … he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding … of all the things to stop him … but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

"**We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

Harry had to wonder just how much Albus knew by that point. He certainly knew by the end of his first year, but how much did he know then? Surely he wouldn't have known much as it seemed to be only recently that it happened.

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, be cause he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

"**Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"**

"**I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."**

"Oh god!" Lily cried as she started to cry into James' shoulder. Petunia felt the worst she'd ever felt seeing her sister breaking down at the mere though that her son was living with her own sister. How could Petunia have been so stupid.

"**You don't mean — you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore — you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son — I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!"**

"**It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."**

"A letter?" Lily shouted at Albus who looked down at his feet. "You thought you could explain everything to Petunia in a _letter_?"

"I didn't know what she would do given the choice, so I had to do it this way," Albus assured her.

"But why her?" Lily asked. Petunia's guilt deepened.

"She was the only blood relative left," Albus replied.

"Blood relative? What does that have to do with –" Lily cut herself short. "Oh. Oh, I understand now. I still don't like it, though!"

"**A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous — a legend — I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in the future — there will be books written about Harry — every child in our world will know his name!"**

"**Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous be fore he can walk and talk! Famous for some thing he won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"**

"I was never ready," Harry murmured. Ginny and Tom heard him and both hugged him at the same time. Lily II noticed and hugged him as well. Harry couldn't help but smile.

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes — yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

"**Hagrid's bringing him."**

"I bet _he's_ got Harry hidden in his big coat," Charlie commented. Everyone who knew Hagrid laughed.

"**You think it — wise — to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"**I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

"So would I," Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, Bill, Charlie, Molly, Arthur, James, Lily, Remus, Tonks, Sirius, Dennis and Colin all commented.

"You're all idiots!" Moody yelled. "The only person you should trust is yourself. People turn on you! People are out for themselves!"

"Calm yourself, Alastor," Albus said gently. Moody scratched his scar-filled face and growled.

"**I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to — what was that?"**

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a head light; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

"Yay! I haven't seen that motorcycle in years!" Sirius said.

"If I am correct, I believe Hagrid still has it to this day," Albus said. Sirius smiled.

"Well then, I think I'll go and visit Hagrid tomorrow," Sirius said happily.

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild — long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

"**Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"**

"**Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir."**

"**No problems, were there?"**

"**No, sir — house was al most destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."**

"Aww," Cooed all of the women in the room, which made Harry blush. He saw Dennis and Colin smirking at him in the corner of his eye.

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

"**Is that where — ?" whispered Professor McGonagall.**

"**Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."**

"It's true. I still have it," Harry said.

"Can I see it?" Tom asked timidly. Harry smiled and pulled back his bangs. "Wow. It really is shaped like lightning!"

"**Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

"**Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well — give him here, Hagrid — we'd better get this over with."**

**Dumble dore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.**

"**Could I — could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

"He's very loud when he cries. Louder when he's drunk," Charlie commented with a smirk.

"Charlie Weasley! How would you know such a thing?" Molly screeched.

"Oh...uh...I went drinking with Hagrid...when I was of age of course. I would never ever go behind your back, Mum," Charlie said. Molly and Percy both snorted.

"**Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!"**

"**S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it — Lily an' James dead — an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles —"**

"**Yes, yes, its all very sad, but get a grip on your self, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it in side Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

"**Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

"**Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'd best get this bike away. G'night, Professor McGonagall — Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself on to the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

"**I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.**

"**Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.**

"I needed it," Harry commented dryly which made Lily cringe.

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets with out waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley. … He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter — the boy who lived!"**

"I hate that name!" Harry shouted.

"That's it for chapter one," Luna said dreamily. "Interesting wasn't it?"

Lily was beginning to get quite worried. It sounded a lot like Harry was going to go through a lot in his time at Hogwarts. How else could someone write seven books on his life otherwise? She really didn't know how much she would be able to take.

Ariana was thoroughly enjoying the story thus far. She didn't like that Albus left Harry on those horrible people's doorstep but she knew he would have a reason for it. She couldn't wait to hear what happens next.

James II was already realising things about his dad that he had not known before. He didn't know that his dad survived Voldemort when he was a baby. He didn't know that he was left with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. And he didn't know Aunt Minerva was a cat. He would definitely be having words with her the next time he saw her.

_Well, that was boring_, Augusta thought to herself. She was expecting more about Harry Potter and not about some fat muggle going about his day. How in the world did the person who wrote this ever sell anything? That was more boring than the day all she did was sit and drink tea. Which was most days. She sincerely hoped that she wouldn't die of boredom during the course of these books.

Neville had just listened to the story. He never really liked hearing about this aspect of Harry's life. Neville had always imagined that Harry would have been brought up well and that he would be his best friend. But it wasn't to be. He wasn't really surprised when Harry chose Ron Weasley over him. Neville just wished that someone would have considered him a best friend in his first few years at Hogwarts.

Harry had told Fleur all about his childhood so she knew what was coming. In fact, she was one of the only people he would talk about it with. Her, Ginny and Hermione were pretty much the only ones. Fleur was genuinely touched that Harry trusted her so much. It meant a lot because she always knew that trust would be an issue with a lot of men in her life because of the Veela powers. But Harry trusted her as much as he did people he'd known for longer. She liked having Harry as a friend.

Eileen was worried for the boy. She knew that he was sitting right there, but she was worried nonetheless. If Lily's outburst was any indication, Harry didn't have a happy childhood. While on that train of thought she looked to Severus who had a thoughtful look on his face. Just once, Eileen would like to see a positive emotion on her son's face.

Harry thought that the first chapter had gone surprisingly smoothly. It was really the next chapter that would be the test for everyone. He actually found that he was dreading reading the next chapter. What was contained in it would certainly lead to more than one angry person in his living room.

* * *

**_Author's Note_**

**Okay then. There's the first chapter. Hope I didn't disappoint. Considering this is the most boring chapter in the whole series, I think I did a good job. What did you think?**

**I know some things in here are overused in other ones, but there isn't really much else I can use. I hope I get more inventive as time goes on. I found myself wanting to write Fred, George, Fabian or Gideon the whole time. Lol. Maybesomeone whould write that fic. A 'Reading the Books' fic with just those four and maybe James, Sirius and Remus. Alas, it will not be me!**

**My thanks go out to _monkeymail_, _Taeniaea_, _SokkasFirstFangirl_, _DrinkingAlcoholicRainbows, beverlie4055_, _HarryPotterNut94_, _hannibal221_, _mydarkillusion_, _Shinigami_ and _Animelover098_ for reviewing. Thanks a million!**

_**Shinigami**_** - I had to let Dennis be a kid. I was pretty mean to him, really. I'm looking forward to writing people's reactions to these things. You've already now seen Lily's reaction to Dumbledore just _puttung_ Harry there. Imagine how she'll be when she hears that he slept in a cupboard. I agree Snape was out of line with Neville. At least with Harry he had a reason for acting the way he did. It may not be a good reason, but he had one. It was never said what his problem with Neville was. I can't hate Hermione because if I was a girl and had bushy brown hair I would be her. I'm not kidding, I am very like her in many ways. Hermione never hated Fleur, Gabrielle or Luna. It was more of a disapproval I think. It wasn't like she was being a total bitch to them all the time and she did get over it. Just her being a teenager.**

_**Animelover098**_** - I've always thought that the titles give away too much. I mean, if it was said that the book was called _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_ I would imagine that the following people would guess what was the focus of the book. Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, Regulus, Albus, Frank, Alice, Severus, Cedric, Edgar, Patricia, Amelia, Moody, Augusta, Aberforth, Charlus and Dorea. And that's just off the top of my head. To me, it seems like Flamel would be well known in the Wizarding World so it would stand to reason that those people would know of him and his accomplishments. Same for _the Chamber of Secrets_, _the Goblet of Fire_, _the Order of the Phoenixi, The Half-Blood Prince_ (Lily and Severus atleast would know) and _the Deathly Hallows_. That leaves one book where the name wouldn't give anything away. **

**Thanks for reading. I don't know when the next chapter will be up but I'll try to have it done before the endof this week.**

**Beletrium/Koldrian**


	14. PS 2 The Vanishing Glass

_**Disclaimer**_** - I do not intend any copyright infringement. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. This story is purely for the enjoyment of fanfiction readers and the author. There is not any money being made from this story, nor will there ever be any made. Any mention of the _Harry Potter_ books is used as a purely entertaining source. All content in this chapter in bold is owned by J.K. Rowling and not me. I use it to further my story.**

* * *

**_PS 2 The Vanishing Glass_**

Albus Dumbledore was quite shaken after Lily Potter's outburst in the first chapter they read. He thought, at the time, that he was doing what was absolutely best for young Harry, and still did for that matter. Both of Harry's godparents, Sirius Black and Alice Longbottom, were incapacitated and it was stated in James and Lily's wills that Harry would be placed in Albus' care. That meant that he could assign a home for the young boy wherever was best.

He did consider raising the boy himself. But Albus wasn't stupid. What could be worse for Harry than being the Boy Who Lived than being brought up by the most well-known and well-respected wizard of the last century? No, it was best that he grow up away from the spotlight.

But it was as he was thinking about that that Albus had an epiphany of sorts. Harry growing up away from the Wizarding World could actually be more harmful to him in the long run. Not because he would, in essence, be a muggle-born. That was fine. Muggle-borns fit in well enough eventually. But Albus hadn't taken into account what would happen in ten years time for the boy when he actually re-entered the Wizarding World. It would cause quite a stir. At least if he grew up in the Wizarding World, more people would get used to the boy.

This was the first time that Albus had any thoughts that he may have been wrong in placing Harry with Petunia and Vernon Dursley. Yes, Albus knew that Lily did not get on with Petunia, but he figured that Petunia would get past that and raise Harry like her own. But the look on Lily's face when the book announced that Harry was going to stay with Petunia was one of pure anguish. That look was not something Albus was anticipating from Lily.

At least she seemed to understand to a point. The Blood Wards were very important in allowing Harry too survive. There were still any number of Death Eaters in the world when Albus left Harry with the Dursleys and it wouldn't do for James and Lily's death to be in vain. Albus could not allow Harry to be killed by Death Eaters. It _was_ the safest course of action.

If Alice or Sirius could have taken Harry, would Albus have let them? Yes, he would have. Alice, Frank and Sirius were all Aurors so would have been able to protect him from any Death Eater threats well enough. As it was, Frank and Alice protected young Neville well, but at the cost of their sanity.

Albus felt that he made the correct decision in where to place Harry and he hoped that the next few chapters of the book would prove him right. He did get regular reports from Arabella Figg saying that Harry was well and safe. He just hoped that her information was correct and not misinformed.

"Well then," Luna said, waving the book in the air. "Who's next?" No one in the room spoke so Harry sighed.

"Fine. I'll do it," Harry said before silently summoning the open book from Luna's hand.

The tone of Harry's voice shocked Lily quite a bit. It certainly didn't seem like he was going to enjoy reading this chapter, so she realised that she probably wouldn't like it very much either. She squeezed James harder to herself and watched as Harry found the right page. She was bracing herself, because she knew what Petunia was like. _This will not end well_, Lily moaned in her own head as Harry started to read.

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls.**

"Eet sounds very boring to me," Fleur said and many people nodded in agreement.

**Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets **

Snickers broke out around the room as Dudley turned red.

**— but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.**

"Petunia!" Leigh shouted, making the people around her jump. "How could you? That's your nephew."

Petunia was now extremely worried how Lily and her parents would react very soon. She knew that the worst was yet to come.

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.**

**"Up! Get up! Now!"**

"That's nice," Edgar Bones commented while looking at Petunia. "What a way to get woken up."

Petunia didn't fail to notice the glare she was receiving from her mother. Her father wasn't angry, at least he didn't look it, he just looked disappointed. Petunia always hated it when her father did that. He never got angry, but sometimes she wished that he would.

**"Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

"More liked you lived it!" Sirius said, happy that his motorcycle was mentioned again. But then he realised where he was at this point and quieted down. Azkaban does that to people.

**His aunt was back outside the door.**

**"Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

**"Nearly," said Harry.**

**"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."**

**Harry groaned.**

**"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.**

"He didn't say anything," Myrtle said angrily. She really didn't like this Petunia woman. She sounded very like her own mother, who she simply could not stand at all.

**"Nothing, nothing …"**

**Dudley's birthday — how could he have forgotten?**

"Who'd want to remember it?" Ron asked loudly, looking pointedly at Dudley. Dudley slunk back a little as more people than were necessary agreed with Ron.

**Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on.**

Ron and Colin both groaned. Harry laughed, knowing Ron's phobia but looked at Colin.

"What? I don't like spiders," Colin said. Harry nodded.

**Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.**

And then pandemonium broke out. Lily started to sob into James' shoulder while he gave Petunia a piercing glare. David seemed to be holding Leigh back from going over and simply hurting Petunia for doing that to her grandchild.

Sirius and Remus shared a look. Neither of them knew that Harry had been through that. It actually pained them to think that they didn't ever get close enough to Harry for him to feel comfortable telling them things like this. They knew that it must have been difficult for Harry to go through and even more difficult for him to tell anyone about.

Albus couldn't help but put his head in his hands at that revelation. He knew now that he had done the wrong thing by leaving Harry at the Dursleys. The one thing that kept going through his head was how Arabella failed to notice something like that. It seemed like a very pertinent detail so he couldn't see that she would keep something like that from him.

Tom was beginning to get worried. When Harry read that he'd lived in a cupboard under the stairs, Tom worriedly looked towards the stairs that led to the floor above them and scanned it for any sign of a cupboard. He wasn't really sure what happened in real families but if this book was anything to go by, he could well be going into a cupboard.

Harry noticed Tom's frantic look as he looked towards the stairs. Harry's heart broke that Tom would even think that he and Ginny would ever do such a thing to him. Harry put an arm around the boy amidst the pandemonium in the room and pulled him into a hug.

"Don't worry Tommy," Harry said quietly so only Tom could hear him. "I will never allow that to happen to you."

"Promise?" Tom asked quietly, his eyes becoming less frantic.

"I promise you," Harry said, kissing Tom on the forehead.

"YOU!" Lily burst out, pointing her finger angrily at Albus as she stood, tears flowing down her face. "You left him there! And look what happened!" She rounded on Petunia. "And _YOU_! You know as well as I do that if I had to take Dudley I would have treated him like my own! But you stuff my baby into a cupboard? A cupboard? How dare you?" James wasn't even planning on stopping his wife and just sat back and watched everything happen.

Leigh fought out of David's grasp and stood by her red-headed daughter's side. "I raised you better than that Petunia! What? Did you think that Harry was some kind of way that you could get back at Lily for being magical? Is that what this was?" Petunia didn't answer, she just looked down at the carpet, ready to accept whatever they had to say. "That's what I thought. It's one thing to treat your sister like dirt but another to treat a _child_ like dirt. A _child_ Petunia! If Harry's children are anything to go off, he would have been a wonderful child to have! And you do that?" Leigh shook her head and sat with her husband again. "You disgust me."

Lily turned back to Albus. "And what? You just left him there with no one checking on him?"

"But Arabella never mentioned –" Albus was surprised when he was cut off by Harry.

"I respect and admire you a lot Albus. But do you really think that an abused child would tell a neighbour that he gets left with that he lives in a cupboard?" Harry asked in a voice that silenced the room. "Do you think that a little boy who loved going to her place would want to ruin that by telling her while he was worried about what his aunt and uncle would do if they found out? No. I kept it all to myself because I was worried how they would react. Hell, I never even told my friends about it for years. It isn't something you talk about, Albus. Especially if you're a frightened little boy."

The room was deathly silent after what Harry had said. Albus allowed tears to flow from his eyes. He had failed Harry. He allowed Harry to become a scared child rather than a loved one. Albus always said that he was just as fallible as any other human being and this was yet another thing that proved that sentiment.

Lily never knew that she could ever feel as hurt as she was at that point. That was her son saying those words. The words that chilled her bones. She walked to where Harry was sitting with his sleeping daughter in his lap and one arm around little Tom who was looking sadly at Harry. Ginny was hugging his other arm. Lily reached out and pulled her son into a hug. This hug went for about ten seconds before Lily pulled away and found that Harry was crying.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked quietly.

"I'm not used to being hugged by my mum," Harry said quietly. "I like it," Lily hugged him again before moving back to her seat and sitting with James. She noticed Petunia sitting with her head in her hands. Lily found that she was still very angry with her sister, but she knew that Petunia had changed. Harry wouldn't have invited her otherwise. They waited a minute before Harry picked up the book again and began to read.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike.**

"Okay, now I'm a little confused. I may not have anything against Muggles anymore but I still don't have a clue what these things are," Draco said, hoping to lighten the mood. It worked a bit because there was some laughter in the room. Harry was included in those who were laughing.

"When we're done for the day, Draco, I'll show you. We have each of those things," Harry said with a smile. Draco nodded.

**Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise**

The room broke into laughter and Dudley was even laughing. He knew what he was like back then. He still was overweight, but not as bad as he used to be.

"Blunt," Fred said, laughing.

"I like it," George replied with the same laugh.

**— unless of course it involved punching somebody. Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry, **

Everyone was waiting for an outburst from Lily or Leigh but, surprisingly, neither did it. Apparently they had been angry enough. The outburst actually came from Charlus who looked quite angry as he looked at Harry.

"You punch anyone again in your life, and I will personally make sure you don't ever do it again," Charlus' voice was very threatening and Dudley looked quite scared. "Am I understood?" Dudley nodded quickly.

"Was that really necessary Charlus?" Dorea asked, eyeing her husband warily.

"Probably not, but he put his hands on our grandson. I will not stand for that," Charlus said fervently.

**but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.**

"I disagree with that statement," Hermione announced. "When I first met you, you looked very fast," The room laughed at Hermione's statement, though she looked a little annoyed. Harry knew that she was being absolutely serious.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. **

"Nope," James and Charlus said together. "Potter genes," James continued. "We've all been small haven't we, dad?"

"Indeed we have son," Charlus replied. "For the last ten generations at least," Harry smiled. He really should have known that. He had been told heaps that he was very like his father.

**He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. **

There was a mixture of laughs and glares directed towards Petunia and Dudley from that comment.

**Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes. He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. **

"You liked that at one stage?" Colin asked. "I thought you always hated it."

"I was ten and I had to like _something_ about myself," Harry said gaining some sad looks that he really didn't want or need.

**He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.**

**"In the car crash when your parents died," **

"A car crash?" Was said around the room in varying different tones. Some were angry, some were confused and some were sad.

"That's what they told me," Harry shrugged it off.

**she had said. "And don't ask questions."**

**Don't ask questions — that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

"What a stupid rule," Percy said haughtily. "How are you supposed to learn anything without asking questions?"

"Petunia doesn't like questions because sometimes she doesn't like the answers," Lily said evenly.

"So she stopped Harry asking questions about his _parents_?" Bill asked incredulously.

"Why didn't you tell us that you didn't get told early on, Harry?" Molly asked.

"I was embarrassed, really," Harry said. "I just figured I wasn't supposed to know. They never answered. Besides, Hagrid told me a bit for my first two years and then Remus and Sirius told me a bit after that. Albus told me bits and pieces as well."

**"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way — all over the place.**

Sirius let out a barking laugh while Lily and Remus smirked as well. "And it will forever be that way!" Sirius said.

"Do you know how many times Prongs tried to flatten his hair for his first date with Lily?" Remus asked sounding amused.

"I don't think I've heard that story," Lily said, looking at her husband slyly.

"Oh, it had to be over fifteen times, wouldn't it Padfoot?" Remus asked.

"I lost track after eighteen, Moony. It certainly was a sight," Sirius said with a grin.

"Twenty-one times," James confirmed. "Had to try to look good. Didn't work though. Blasted hair always sticks out."

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel — Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

"Lily all over," David commented while all who knew her nodded their agreement.

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

**"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

"Merlin! Even I didn't get that many!" Draco said.

"And how many _would_ you normally get, Draco?" Ginny asked slyly. Draco smirked at her.

"Thirty-two."

**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy."**

**"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right?"**

All the parents in the room scoffed. "That's how you raise a child Petunia?" Alice asked in a scary voice.

"Not anymore," Petunia said quietly.

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty … thirty …"**

**"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

"An eleven year old who can't add two to a number," Dan Granger said, shaking his head.

"I'm so glad Hermione wasn't like that as a child," Emma agreed. "It would've driven us mad," Hermione blushed from her nearby couch.

**"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled.**

**"Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

"Yeah, Dudley, aim –" Fabian began.

"To be just like Vernon. He sounds –" Gideon continued.

"Just like a perfect role model. Being so –"

"Successful making holes," Gideon finished and the room burst into laughter. Dudley couldn't help but turn red.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

**"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction.**

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

**"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this.**

"Of course that's what she did," Andromeda said sarcastically. "Blame the only one it wouldn't have been."

"Why do you say that?" Ted asked.

"Harry hated it at the Dursleys so why would he turn down a chance to be away from them?" Andromeda reasoned.

**Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbies, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.**

**"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

**"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy."**

"I bet she hates you even more after the end of second year," Fred laughed. Harry smiled at him but said nothing.

"What happened then?" Dennis asked.

"Ah, you'll have to wait and see. It's in the third book."

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there — or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

No one was at all surprised that this was the case. Leigh glared at her eldest daughter while Lily continued to hold James. Ariana was glaring at Petunia as well. She really liked Harry. He was nice to her. How could anyone be like that about him?

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend — Yvonne?"**

**"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

**"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

**"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

**"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

"Actually, I don't blame her suspicion there," Regulus put in. As all eyes focused on him he didn't back down. "Accidental magic relies heavily on intent. Harry hates the Dursleys and hates Number Four. I think that's pretty good intent right there. He wouldn't dare try anything while they're in the house, but when they aren't there?" He left it hanging and Harry had to agree with him. He really would have liked to see the house burnt down at that point.

**"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "… and leave him in the car. …"**

**"That cars new, he's not sitting in it alone. …"**

"Yeah. Because that's the problem with leaving a ten year old in a car in the middle of June," Dan scoffed at Vernon's stupidity.

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying — it had been years since he'd really cried — but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

**"Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.**

**"I … don't … want … him … t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mothers arms.**

"Now there's a Slytherin," Narcissa commented. When she was met with unbelieving eyes she said, "Well he would be."

"What's a Slytherin?" Dudley and Tom asked at the same time. Harry ignored Dudley and turned to his son.

"It's a House at Hogwarts that's known as the 'bad' one," Harry whispered to him. Tom nodded and told Harry to continue reading.

**Just then, the doorbell rang — "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically — and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.**

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

**"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy — any funny business, anything at all — and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

"Would he really do that?" James II asked his father from across the room. Harry shrugged.

"I don't think he would for _that _long," Harry replied, noticing the look on his mother's face.

**I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly …"**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.**

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.**

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off. He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.**

"That isn't normal accidental magic," Tonks mused. "Has anything like that ever happened after that Harry?"

"Well, I haven't had a haircut since 1998," He smiled at Hermione. "And my hairs always the same length."

"Interesting," Tonks said curiously. "Do you think you may be a metamorphmagus?" Harry was taken aback.

"Well...it's possible I guess. I've never really tried," Harry replied.

"We'll have to try later on, Harry," Tonks said happily. "Some metamorphs can do it immediately but others take a bit of practice to master it."

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls). The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.**

"Good," Lily said coldly. Petunia flinched at the tone.

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump.**

"And again! And this time it wasn't even a Muggle!" Arthur cried. "The most ridiculous ideas come into the heads of those who don't know about magic," This time Molly let her husband go and just smiled fondly.

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.**

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles.**

**"… roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

**"I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

"Harry," The room moaned.

"What? I was ten!" Harry said defensively.

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"**

**Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

**"I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream."**

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon — they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

_I'm sure he got plenty of dangerous ideas during his time at Hogwarts_, Severus thought. While he was glad that Harry had saved him, he still thought that he would be like his father.

"Harry doesn't need to get any dangerous ideas," Ron snorted. "Let's just say they come to him."

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.**

"That is something I _know_ Lily would have said in the same situation," James said looking fondly at his wife.

"Your damn right I would have!" Lily said loudly.

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him. They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.**

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can — but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

**"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself — no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house.**

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.**

**It winked.**

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly:**

**"I get that all the time."**

**"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

A lot of people in the room gasped.

"You're a Parselmouth?" James asked.

"I _was_ a Parselmouth. I haven't really tried it for ages," Harry said. In truth, he hadn't tried it since losing the Horcrux inside him.

Albus formulated a theory as to why Harry was a Parselmouth that involved the failed Killing Curse. He couldn't really think of what else it could possibly be given the fact that James was not a Parselmouth and Lily was a muggle-born.

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

**"Was it nice there?"**

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see — so you've never been to Brazil?"**

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

"This won't be good," Susan said.

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

**"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. **

Charlus glared at Dudley at that comment but said nothing. Dorea had her hand on his arm to stop him from doing anything.

Lily winced at the thought of her baby boy being hurt but managed to calm herself.

**Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened — one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

"What happened?" Tom asked.

"Accidental magic," Harry replied. "Every witch and wizard does it, generally after they turn seven. They simply can't control the magic inside them so it just 'bursts' out."

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come. … Thanksss, amigo."**

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

**"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go — cupboard — stay — no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

"Drinking with children around!" Cordelia exclaimed.

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

"Good. The boy has _some_ sense," Moody growled and wasn't fazed by the looks given to him.

"You really had to sneak food, Uncle Harry?" Victoire asked. This was one of the questions she had wanted to ask but her parents told her not to. Teddy was looking on as well, looking for an answer.

"Yes, I did. More than once on some occasions," Harry replied.

"But why?" Fred II asked.

"I had to eat somehow," Harry shrugged.

"Did they ever do that to Dudley?" Roxanne asked, looking at Dudley. Harry laughed a hollow laugh.

"No. Not to their precious 'Duddy Diddikums'," The kids all laughed and stopped asking questions.

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. **

"Oh God!" Lily exclaimed with a pained look at her son. "You remembered that?" Harry nodded.

He said under his breath. "Just wait 'til third year," Remus, being the only one who could hear him well enough besides Tom, Lily II, Albus II and Ginny, looked at Harry sadly. He knew what Harry was talking about and wasn't really looking forward to reading it.

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.**

"But shouldn't you have pictures of family?" Cedric asked. Lily and Harry shook their heads but Harry responded.

"To have that, they had to consider me, mum and dad as family, which they never did. They saw Mum and Dad as a disgrace and they saw me as a freak that was pawned off on them for absolutely no good reason," All eyes turned to Petunia but she didn't have a reply. They _did_ think that back then. She had changed a lot since those days and saw things differently, but she knew it wasn't enough.

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family. Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. **

"Diggle!" Moody burst out angrily but it came off wrong because everyone just laughed.

**After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.**

"Does _no one _take the secrecy laws seriously?" Moody groaned.

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

"Well that one's done. Pleasant huh?" Harry said.

"Please tell me that things get better when you get to Hogwarts?" Lily asked hopefully.

"Oh, yeah. It gets better," Harry said which made Lily smile a bit before he added, "At first."

Ariana Dumbledore thought of herself as a peaceful person. She didn't really like violence or anything like that. But even she was beginning to hate the Dursleys. _How they could treat someone as nice as Harry in such a bad way?_ Ariana asked herself. If she could have, she would have gone back in time and saved that poor little boy in the cupboard. But Yargly took the staff. _Oh well_, Ariana thought, _It can only get better_.

Amelia Bones was going through the list of things she could have gotten the Dursleys arrested for if she had been in charge and found out. The list was already quite a long one and she felt that it would only get longer as time went on. Amelia was a woman of principle and would never allow something like this to happen to any child, be they the Boy Who Lived or not. It is simply unacceptable.

Amos Diggory had yet to comment during the reading. The reason being that he was shocked. He was shocked that Harry Potter was brought up like this. And he still turned out to be a very admirable man. Something that Amos had not noticed before they began reading the books. In a way, he felt bad for the little boy and even more so when he thought about how he treated the boy after Cedric died. Harry had been through enough only to be shunned by someone because he witnessed a death.

Severus Snape was yet to formulate an opinion on Harry Potter. He was now fully aware of the boy's childhood, but he still felt that it was inevitable that he end up as a James Potter clone. But there was a strange niggling doubt in the back of his mind throughout the chapter whenever Black or Potter mentioned the similarities to Lily. When it happened, Severus remembered Albus' words. _"He has her eyes"_.

Just as he had with the chapter prior, Neville remained silent. Despite everything, Neville felt that Harry was his best friend. He knew that Harry didn't think that Neville was his, but Neville felt that way nonetheless. He hated hearing about his best friend like this. Whenever he did, he thought to his own childhood and how much he used to complain about it when it was really nothing compared to Harry's.

At least his Gran wasn't abusive and Uncle Algie only did what he did occasionally. Harry had it bad all the time. And look at him now. A wife. Three kids of his own. One that he just adopted, who just so happens to be the Dark Lord as a child. And looking after Dennis and Colin as well. Neville felt something stir within him. He wanted to be a father as well. He wanted to have someone look at Harry like James II, Albus II, Lily II and Tom did.

Luna Scamander had remained quiet through the chapter as well. She felt very much the same way that Neville did. She knew what Harry had gone through but it hurt her to hear it. Harry was the second person, the first being Ginevra, that had ever been nice to her outside of her family. This made Luna feel that she and Harry shared a bond of sorts. She felt bad that Harry had been through that much and she just tried not to feel the pain when she listened.

Nymphadora Tonks was quite excited if she was being truthful. She was fully aware of what had just been revealed in the last chapter, but she couldn't tear her mind away from the fact that Harry could be a Metamorphmagus. She had never had anyone to teach before so she was looking forward to seeing if he was one.

* * *

**_Author's Note_**

**Well there's Chapter 2 of _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_. I hope I did it justice. I think this will be the format of most, if not all, chapters. A bit at the beginning, the chapter and then a few people's opinions at the end. I like it that way.**

**I realised yesterday after I posted PS 1 that my story will be excurciatingly long in the end. I have an average chapter word count of 9,424 words as of PS 1 and a total of 122,512 words so far, excluding this chapter. I have 198 chapters left to do and 2 interludes every 9 chapters, which makes a total of 44 interludes. I will also have one chapter between each book which is another six chapters. That's another 248 chapters. Now I can use the average I have for the first 13 chapters (9,424) to find an estimate to how long my story will end up being when it's complete. That's 2,337,152 words for the next 248 chapters. Which makes an estimate of 2,459,664 words. The longest fanfic on this site, I believe, is a Teen Titains fic that is 2,571,728 words long. My aim is to beat that if I can. Who's with me? **

**Thanks heaps to _Taeniaea_, _LilyMelany_, _HarryPotterNut94_, _DrinkingAlcoholicRainbows_, _bujian_, _Yellow Flash_, _My'Names'Amber'Louise_, _dennisud_ and _Shinigami_ for reviewing.**

**_bujian_ - Yeah, I found that flaw annoying in others because it was too easy. I had to fix it for myself. Thanks for your compliments.**

**_HarryPotterNut94_ - Hope the reactions were more interesting here. I never really thought about Snape's hatred of Neville like that. That's interesting.**

**_Yellow Flash_ - If you read earlier, Harry said to have fun. That's what he's doing. Having fun.**

**_Shinigami_ - I hope David and Leigh's reactions here lived up to what you wanted. David didn't do that much but he did enough. I agree with everything you said about Fleur and such. I enjoy having attention as long as I earned it. I don't demand it if you know what I mean. I love Tonks and Luna too. They're two of the best because they aren't too serious most of the time. Any book needs a balance of characters and Luna and Tonks help to balance things away from it all being serious.**

**As I said with the last update, I don't know when the next one will be. This one was only done because I was procrastinating my studies. I'll try to get at least two done in the next week.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**Beletrium/Koldrian  
**


	15. PS 3 The Letters From No One

_**Disclaimer**_** - I do not intend any copyright infringement. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. This story is purely for the enjoyment of fanfiction readers and the author. There is not any money being made from this story, nor will there ever be any made. Any mention of the _Harry Potter_ books is used as a purely entertaining source. All content in this chapter in bold is owned by J.K. Rowling and not me. I use it to further my story.**

* * *

_**PS 3 The Letters From No One**_

Draco Malfoy was becoming rather conflicted. When he came to read these books he expected something interesting to come of it about Harry Potter. Well, he couldn't say what he had learnt so far wasn't interesting, but it wasn't what he was expecting. He was expecting to hear about how The Boy Who Lived was pampered growing up. Draco was more than a little shocked that Harry had actually grown up in an abusive household. And in a cupboard no less.

Draco wasn't looking for these things for anything other than to satisfy his own curiosity. Even if he hadn't completely changed over the course of the last thirteen years, he wouldn't have been stupid enough to try and speak against Harry Potter. Only a fool would do so. He was already the hero of the Wizarding World when he was an infant and then he defeated the Dark Lord. It cemented his spot as a Wizarding God.

While Draco didn't agree with the fact that Harry was touted as such, he had also noticed that Harry didn't much like it either. That was the first time that Draco began to question his own thoughts. For seven years Draco believed that Harry Potter was loving every last bit of the attention. That he was living off it. But when Draco stopped and thought about it, the signs were there to say that he really wasn't.

Just look at the way he lived his life in the last thirteen years. Despite being filthy rich thanks to the Potter and Black fortune, Harry still got a job as an Auror. If it had been Draco in that same position he would have just lived off the money he already had instead of working for more. His vision of Harry Potter crumbled over the course of about one year and after that, Draco began to really question everything his father, and to a certain extent his mother, had taught him over the years.

Draco found that he couldn't ignore the evidence right in front of him about certain things. Take Hermione Granger for example. A Muggle-Born which. By what Draco had been taught, she should have been the lowest in the Wizarding World. His parents had always told him that two things defined a wizard or witch. Blood and gender.

If you are a Pureblood male, you should be right at the very top of society followed behind by Pureblood females. Then came the Half-Blood males, then the Half-Blood females, then the Muggle-Born males and lastly the Muggle-Born females. But when Draco looked at that he found that it was entirely pathetic. Hermione Granger was not the most powerful witch, but she was more powerful than Draco magically. Draco was supposed to be at the top. Yet she was better than him. Even that Finch-Fletchley guy was a more powerful wizard than Draco.

And if the Muggle-Borns are better than a Pureblooded male, then where does that leave what he'd learnt from his father. And with those simple observations, Draco's whole world came crashing down around him. Everything his father had ever told him came into complete disrepute and Draco began to think things through a lot more thoroughly. Perhaps the biggest turn of events was when he finally realised that Muggles weren't the scum of the Earth. They far outnumber the magical population and, from what Draco had learnt, they had weapons that could wipe out any person regardless of the strength of their shield charm.

Now, Draco was not going to try and live with the Muggles or such, but he atleast respected them now and could see why they're important to all society. Draco was never going to stop living the Pureblood lifestyle because he had become accustomed to it and it would be difficult to just leave. But if, one day, Scorpius comes up to Draco and Astoria and tells them that he's in love with a Half-Blood or a Muggle-Born or even a Muggle, Draco would not forbid it and would even go so far as to support his beloved son in such an endeavour.

Draco Malfoy was indeed a changed man. He just hoped that people would accept him for it. He would never be so bold as to ask for friendship from someone like Harry Potter or Hermione Granger, but he would hope that there would be less, or no, hostilities. Reading these books could well help with that and, if he learns a bit about people from them, that's a bonus.

As Harry finished the chapter, Ginny immediately stole the book out of his hand. "I'll read now, I think," Ginny said happily. No one complained so she started to read.

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started **

"And how long was that?" Hermione demanded. She had never worked out when Dudley's birthday was so she didn't know. It was something that had bugged her for a while, but she never got around to asking Harry about it. Harry thought about it for a minute.

"Well...I got out about nine days before my eleventh birthday...and Dudley's birthday is June 23rd...That's a month exactly," Harry finally said. Hermione clapped her hand to her mouth.

"A month?" Leigh screamed, looking directly at Petunia. "You left him in there for a month? For something he didn't know about? Something he didn't understand but you and Vernon did?" Petunia didn't say anything so Leigh scoffed and motioned for Ginny to keep reading. The whole time, Lily was crying into James' shoulder.

**and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.**

David and Leigh shook their heads and looked at Dudley and Petunia.

"And he did that all in one month?" Charlie asked. Harry nodded.

"He sure did. Actually, I'm surprised the bike even took his weight. I feel bad for Mrs. Figg really," Harry said not even caring that Dudley was in the room. To his credit, Dudley took the words and didn't say anything back.

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. **

"By that logic, Crabbe should have been the leader of Malfoy's group," Susan commented, earning her surprised glances. She was not normally vicious so it was a surprise to hear her be like that. Harry noticed that Sirius was smiling quite broadly at that statement.

"There's a difference between being big and stupid and being big and having nothing in your head," Draco replied. At the stares he simply shrugged. "You think I liked hanging around _them_? Imagine the conversations!"

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Harry Hunting.**

"Trust someone like Dudley to call that a sport," Fred said wryly.

"Yeah. He couldn't do any others?" George asked with precisely the same tone.

"Not at this point, no," Harry told them.

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. **

"That's always a good thing," Patricia Bones said. "Pity you were wrong about the school though," Everyone laughed. Harry didn't think the choice of words was exactly appropriate. He didn't think it was a pity at all.

**Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny.**

"**They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"**

"**No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it — it might be sick." Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said.**

The room burst into laughter. Even Dudley was laughing at the joke now that he could get it.

"Merlin, Harry," Sirius said finally. "That was worthy of the Marauders and Lily. I applaud you!" It was then that Sirius, James and Remus all applauded Harry.

"I'd stand up and bow but this one," Harry pointed to Lily II. "Would get quite angry if I did I think."

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.**

"It was probably the Frankling Ditriers," Luna said absently.

"What are they, Luna?" Harry asked, surprised that he hadn't heard Luna mention them before.

"They're small little critters that get into your food and ruin it. Evil little things, they are. They always ruin my meatloaf!" Luna exclaimed.**  
**

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. **

Once again the room burst into laughter. And once again, Dudley laughed along with them. Dudley had actually hated that uniform with an absolute passion, but didn't say anything to his father because he didn't want to upset him.

**They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.**

"How exactly?" Amelia asked curiously, wondering if it was a Muggle thing.

"It's not," Dudley replied which surprised everyone. "To this day, I don't know what they're meant to be for. To be fair, though, you lot go to school and use sticks as well. Just...differently."

Hermione and Harry both started to laugh. People looked at them, wondering what they were laughing so hard about. Hermione decided to address them. "When Harry first read the book, he was at my place and he said exactly the same thing as Dudley just did."

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.**

"You're a better man than I am," Bill said seriously.

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water.**

"**What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.**

"**Your new school uniform," she said.**

**Harry looked in the bowl again.**

"**Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

Lily started to laugh. It was the first time she did so and everyone looked at her. "That is _exactly_ what I was thinking as Ginny read the book."

Severus listened to what Lily said and once again felt the niggling feeling. But he pushed it away and told himself that Harry would change when he got to Hogwarts. He _would_ be another James Potter.

"**Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished."**

**Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. **

"That's it! Pick your battles!" Moody said gruffly.

**He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High — like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.**

**They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.**

"**Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

"**Make Harry get it."**

"**Get the mail, Harry."**

"**Make Dudley get it."**

"Doubt that'll work," Colin said.

"**Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."**

**Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and — a letter for Harry.**

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives — he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

"I wonder what it could be for?" Ron said in a monotone voice, garnering a few laughs.

_**Mr. H. Potter  
The Cupboard under the Stairs  
4 Privet Drive  
Little Whinging  
Surrey**_

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.**

**Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.**

"Hogwarts!" James II, Fred II, Molly II, Roxanne, Lucy, Victoire, Dominique, Fred, George, Fabian and Gideon all yelled much to the amusement of the older and, in the cases of the two sets of twins, more mature people.

"**Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.**

"Good thing _he _thinks he's funny," Audrey said.

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.**

"Why didn't you hide it, Harry?" Myrtle asked. Harry looked at her and then laughed.

"I guess I never thought about it enough," Harry replied.

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard.**

"**Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk …"**

"**Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!"**

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.**

"Eet 'ad to 'appen didn't eet?" Fleur asked sadly. Everyone simply nodded, Harry more so than everyone else.

"**That's mine!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.**

"**Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge.**

"**P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.**

"I didn't think that the Blurbles affected Muggles!" Luna said. No one knew what she meant, so they didn't say anything.**  
**

"**Vernon! Oh my goodness — Vernon!"**

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

"**I want to read that letter," he said loudly.**

"But it isn't his," Ariana said quietly. "Why should _he _get to read it?" No one answered her, but everyone agreed.

"**I want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's mine."**

"**Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.**

**Harry didn't move.**

"**I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted.**

"Ooh, Harry," Sirius said, shaking his head in mirth. "You become more and more like your parents as we go on don't you? Did you really think that would work?"

Harry sighed. "I was ten, Sirius. And it was the first time I ever got anything that wasn't from school, Mrs. Figg or the Dursleys themselves," Once again, Harry got the looks that he didn't like to get from a lot of people present.

"**Let me see it!" demanded Dudley.**

"**OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them. Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won, so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor.**

"**Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address — how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"**

"**Watching — spying — might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

"Merlin, he's as paranoid as old Mad –" George began before seeing Moody stand and promptly shut his mouth.

"It's not paranoia. It's called self-protection!" Moody yelled. "CONSTANT VIGILENCE!"

"**But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want —"**

**Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.**

"**No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer. … Yes, that's best … we won't do anything. …"**

"**But —"**

"**I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

"Stamp it out?" James, Charlus, Dorea, Molly and Arthur all yelled. "You can't stamp out magic!" James yelled to Petunia.

"You knew that," Lily said accusingly. "You knew it and you still did it," Lily shook her head and hugged James closer.

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard.**

"**Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to me?"**

"Straight to the point I see," Cedric said. "I can't see much else working with that man."

"You're not wrong, Cedric," Harry replied sadly.

"**No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. "I have burned it."**

"**It was not a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had my cupboard on it."**

"**SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling. He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.**

"**Er — yes, Harry**

"Wait! Did he just –" Fabian said with a shocked look on his face, clapping both hands to his cheeks.

"Call you Harry?" Gideon finished with the same pose.

"Yeah. Didn't really happen much before or after that," Harry replied.

— **about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking … you're really getting a bit big for it … we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom."**

"Second bedroom?" Lily shouted. "I was living under the delusion that you simply didn't have room and you had a _second bedroom_ for your own son?"

"That's not the least of it, Mum," Harry said sadly. Lily looked at him with a pained look that broke Harry's heart to see. "Just a couple of paragraphs and you'll see what I mean."

"**Why?" said Harry.**

"**Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now."**

**The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms: **

"FOUR?" Lily and James roared. The whole room seemed to have turned on Petunia by this point as they were all glaring at her. The whole time she didn't look up, nor did she say anything.

"You had two rooms other than the cupboard that my grandson, your nephew, could have stayed in and you left him in the cupboard?" Leigh yelled. David wasn't even trying to stop her. Leigh suddenly simply calmed and turned to her husband. "Where did we go wrong?"

David shook his head and hugged his wife. "I don't know, dear. I simply don't know."

Petunia felt what remained of her spirit break as she heard her parents say those words. Petunia was normally a very composed woman and would never _ever_ display any emotion in public that would make her look the fool, but she was past that by that point. She did the only thing left that she could think of doing. She broke down into tears and looked at her family.

"I'm sorry!" Petunia sobbed. "I was wrong to be that way! I was selfish and I know that I was wrong for all those years. I pay for it every day with the memory of what I did to my own nephew and how I treated my own sister! This hurts more than you can imagine. I've tried to make amends. I've tried to fix things. I have..." She trailed off and kept sobbing. Dudley held her as she cried and the rest of the room was left in an awkward silence which Harry decided to break after a few seconds.

"She really has tried, you know," Harry said. "She's changed. I'll never be able to forgive her for what she did. At least not completely. But I'm giving her another chance. Everything in these books are in the past."

"I...I don't know Harry," Lily replied. "I want to. I really do. But why should I? She wasn't good to me when I learnt I was a witch and she wasn't any better to my son when he turned out to be one. I can't just instantly trust her again. Not after all that," Harry agreed with her and was about to say so but David spoke up.

"I have never felt worse than I feel right now," He said. "I am disgusted that my own daughter can act that way. But I am willing to forgive her if and when she can prove her sincerity. Until that time, I refuse to accept any apology from her," Leigh nodded in agreement with her husband. Harry sighed.

"I guess that'll have to do. Go ahead, Gin."

**one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room. He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been canceled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched.**

Hermione huffed.

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't want him in there … I need that room … make him get out. …"**

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it.**

Everyone eyed Harry with concern and sadness, which he really wished they wouldn't do. Harry felt Tom nudge him so he leant in to listen to him.

"I think I know how you feel, Dad," Tom whispered. "I never got anything and I know that I would rather have something like that then be in a good room in the orphanage," Harry smiled.

"Thanks for that, Tommy."

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back. **

Draco turned to his mother. "I was never that bad, was I?" He asked.

"No. You weren't. You never had a turtle," Narcissa said dryly. The room started laughing as Draco turned red.

**Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.**

**When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it. They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive —' "**

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. **

"Whoo!" The two sets of twins cheered. "Go Harry! You take that whale down!"

**After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand.**

"**Go to your cupboard — I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry. "Dudley — go — just go."**

**Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.**

"That's never a good thing," Ron commented glared at him.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.**

**He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door —**

"**AAAAARRRGH!"**

Harry jumped as his wife screamed, reading the book. "Did you really need to do that Ginny?" Lily II squirmed in Harry's lap but seemed to not wake. Ginny gave Harry an evil smirk and continued to read.

**Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat — something alive!**

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face. Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink.**

"**I want —" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes.**

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.**

"Well isn't that just a waste of time?" Dan asked sarcastically.

"**See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver them they'll just give up."**

"**I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."**

"**Oh, these peoples minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me,"**

Murmurs of 'thank god' and 'thank Merlin' went around the room at that.

**said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him. **

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom.**

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises.**

Moody had both of his eyes on Fred and George, daring them to say something. One of them looked like they were going t but Moody loudly cleared his throat and the twin shut his mouth immediately.

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.**

_Petunia should have known that all of that wouldn't work_, Severus thought to himself with a sigh. He even had the thought that he would have taken the boy had he known that Petunia would be like this. Even Severus wouldn't deny James Potter's son a chance to learn magic.

"**Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?" Dudley asked Harry in amazement.**

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.**

"**No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today —"**

"Think again!" Arthur said gleefully.

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one —**

"You leapt into the air to try to catch one?" Dennis asked amusedly. Harry just laughed.

"I don't know how many times I'll end up saying this, but I was ten!" Harry said.

"**Out! OUT!"**

**Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall. When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

"**That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time. "I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!"**

**He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue. **

Snickers came from around the room, including from Petunia and Dudley's direction.

**Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag.**

"Did he really do that, Uncle Harry?" Victoire asked. Harry nodded.

"Dudley felt that he wouldn't be able to survive without all of those things," Harry confirmed.

"But that's silly," Victoire said. Harry shrugged.

"That's Dudley for you," The man in question was turning red as Harry spoke.

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while.**

"**Shake 'em off … shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.**

Moody cleared his throat, stopping Fred or George right away.

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.**

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. **

"At least he gets a bed," Molly and Lily said at the same time.

**Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering. …**

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.**

" '**Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk."**

**She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:**

_**Mr. H. Potter  
Room 17  
Railview Hotel  
Cokeworth**_

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared.**

"**I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.**

"**Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.**

"**Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon. **

"That implies that he wasn't mad before," Percy commented dryly. "Dedalus Diggle has more sense."

"Wouldn't go that far," Moody grumbled.

**Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.**

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled.**

"**It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television."**

**Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday — and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days of the week, because of television — then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday. Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun — last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. Still, you weren't eleven every day.**

People waited for an outburst but it didn't come. It seemed like Lily, James, David and Leigh had all come to terms with the fact that Petunia wasn't going to treat Harry well so they all sat in silence.

Petunia, by this point, was no longer sobbing but was silently hoping that she could make it up to her family.

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.**

"**Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"**

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there.**

"**Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"**

"Mental, that one," Charlie said humourlessly. People all around the room nodded.

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.**

"**I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"**

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.**

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.**

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas. He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up.**

"Idiot," Dan muttered. Emma grabbed his arm and just held on to him.

"**Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully.**

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.**

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.**

Albus was hurting, listening to how Harry was treated by his family. Every word seemed to physically hurt him. The image of a poor, small, eleven year old boy curled up under one singular blanket was enough to make Albus want to find him and hug him. But it seemed he had lost that chance. So he sat and listened, hoping something good would happen.

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.**

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did. **

"Well, isn't that morbid?" Eileen said.

**Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.**

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?**

"Wow. You really had it bad didn't you, Harry?" Colin asked sadly. Harry simply nodded.

"Yeah. And this was leading up to my birthday. Imagine what a terrible day would be," Colin cringed at the thought.

**One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds … twenty … ten … nine — maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him — three … two … one …**

**BOOM.**

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

Everyone who knew who it was grinned.

"What?" The rest of the room asked loudly.

"We know who it is," Teddy said in a sing-song voice. Everyone who didn't know just groaned.

"Well get on with it then," Augusta said irritably. "Some of us have things to do you know!"

"Gran," Neville began. "All you do is drink tea these days."

"That's still something isn't it?" Augusta said. Neville opened his mouth but found that he couldn't say anything back.

"I think she's got you there," Hannah said with a hint of amusement.

"Don't worry, son. She gets the best of us with her rock solid logic!" Frank said, earning himself a glare from his mother.

Alice Longbottom was feeling quite bad after listening to the first few chapters of this book. They were about her godson, after all. And they weren't pleasant. It came to the point that she was thinking the same thing she did about Neville. What would have happened had she and Frank taken care of those two? She would like to think that she would have been a good mother. Well, next to Petunia, any mother is a good mother.

Cho Chang was eying Harry with pity. That's all she could think to call it. She had known that Harry had a crush on her in his third year, but did nothing about it. She had figured that it was just a phase and that the Boy Who Lived would just move on to liking someone different. But now that she heard about his childhood, she began to wonder if she should have done anything differently. He was obviously deprived of closeness and if she had been his girlfriend would it have helped him. _No_, Cho thought to herself. She never really felt that way about him, even in her sixth year. It would have ended worse if she had done something she didn't want and hurt him.

Cedric Diggory was eying Harry with respect. The Harry Potter he knew during the Triwizard Tournament was a spectacular young man. And to become like that after such a terrible childhood is something that Cedric truly admired about Harry. Cedric no longer saw Harry as the terrific Gryffindor Seeker or the Boy Who Lived or even the other Hogwarts Champion. He now saw him as he was. Just Harry.

Ron had read the books before, but he always found that reading these chapters was the hardest for him. They brought up the memories of his fourth year and the Horcrux hunt when he was jealous of Harry. These chapters made Ron realise just how wrong he was to be jealous of Harry in any way. He was just glad that Harry had forgiven him for those past transgressions.

Tom was cuddling into his father and was thinking. He knew a bit about what Harry had gone through. He didn't know his parents, just like Tom didn't know his. He was bullied, just like Tom was. He didn't have any friends, just like Tom didn't. But at least Tom had a proper bed. And a proper room. And Mrs. Cole was always nice to him. In truth, Tom felt that his dad had it worse than he did. Tom couldn't have felt happier that his dad had turned out the way he had.

Albus II was listening, despite what some people might think. He was smart and he knew most of what was being said. He looked up at his daddy and felt really sad for him. His daddy was always good to him. Albus II loved his daddy, but his daddy never had anyone who loved him when he was little. Albus II stood up and climbed in between his mummy and his daddy and gave his daddy a big hug.

"I love you, Daddy," Albus II said sweetly.

"I love you too, Al," Harry replied. Albus II already knew that but felt better now that his daddy knew that he loved him. He dropped back to the floor and continued to play with Rose, though he knew that they both were actually listening.

* * *

**_Author's Note_**

**Aww. Cute little bit to end the chapter.**

**I felt like writing a bit more so I did. Hope you liked this one. I feel that I will have a lot more to add in terms of comments later on down the track. Especially after he goes to Hogwarts. For now, it's mostly either Petunia and Dudley bashing or humour. I hope to get into something deeper eventually in this story.**

**I'm happy that I'm getting through these chapters a lot quicker than the other ones. Two in one day! Imagine what I'll do when I have nothing to do in my day but write! Should be interesting to see how many I can get done in a day.**

**I think there are enough new reviews for me to thank, so I will. Thanks to _HarryPotterNut94_, _DrinkingAlcoholicRainbows_, _wokanshutaiduo_, _SokkasFirstFangirl_, _monkeymail_ and _Taeniaea_ for reviewing.**

**_DrinkingAlcoholicRainbows_ - Thank you for your kind words once again! I have tried my best to write each character a little differently to show that every person is different. I think that is the mark of a good writer, and I hope that I am a good writer.**

_**wokanshutaido**_** - I know! That happens a lot doesn't it? But I also think that this Severus would take more convincing than, say, Severus from _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_ because he hasn't actually had Harry in a class before so he doesn't really know what to think.**

**_monkeymail_ - Oh, I plan on it! I want the title for 'Longest Fanfiction'. I _wil _get it! Lol. I'll try my very best to do so. But the strange thing is I'm thinking about a sequel after it! I think I may be more than a little crazy. A 2.5 million word story, a seven book AU series (on the profile 'Beletrium'), an Analysis fic (also on 'Beletrium') and a 'time travel' fic (on this profile). Holy mother of God! That's a lot isn't it? Lol.**

**Alrighty then. That's all for now, so I'm gonna get some sleep. It's midnight where I am and I'm tired.**

**Good night and thanks for reading. Feel free to tell me what you think!**

**Beletrium/Koldrian  
**


	16. PS 4 The Keeper of the Keys

_**Disclaimer**_** - I do not intend any copyright infringement. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. This story is purely for the enjoyment of fanfiction readers and the author. There is not any money being made from this story, nor will there ever be any made. Any mention of the _Harry Potter_ books is used as a purely entertaining source. All content in this chapter in bold is owned by J.K. Rowling and not me. I use it to further my story.**

* * *

_**The Keeper Of The Keys**_

Regulus Black was sitting back, waiting for the next person to take the book and read. He wasn't too fussed about doing the reading himself just yet and was content to sit and listen, occasionally trying to be the voice of reason. He thought that he had a lot to make up for because of his past, but now that he no longer had the Dark Mark upon his skin, he felt that he was beginning to be free once again.

Regulus had always been a very perceptive person. As such, he had noticed the ages of the people present and something Regulus came up with actually startled him. There was a gap of about twelve to fifteen maybe sixteen years where there were no, or very few, notable deaths. That fact lead Regulus to the thought that something had happened to the Dark Lord over the course of that time. He couldn't fathom what would have happened, given that he actually had at least one Horcrux. Regulus was sure when he found out about the Horcrux that there would be more than one and Harry essentially confirmed it.

Harry had told Regulus that he knew about the Horcruxes and that he had dealt with them. That meant that he would have to have been old enough to actually do so. That meant that they weren't destroyed by the time the Dark Lord had disappeared. He tried to piece together what happened until they read the first chapter. Had Regulus not had the proper pureblood training, he would have laughed out loud at the absurdity of the Dark Lord being beaten by a mere infant. However, that was how it happened.

Then Regulus noticed that the retrievals started to occur again around the middle of the 1990's. The only explanation was that the Dark Lord returned about then. So, Regulus reasoned, that meant that the Dark Lord reappeared around the middle of the 1990's and the last ones retrieved seemed to be from around 1998 or 1999. That meant that the Second War lasted, at the most, five or six years. Considering that the man had at least one Horcrux, that seemed like a relatively short time for the war to last.

Not that it was necessarily a bad thing that it was only that long, but Regulus had to wonder what they did to finally beat him. It had to be something intense. If Regulus was correct, the Dark Lord would not have put all his faith into just one Horcrux. Actually, Regulus assumed that he made six Horcruxes as his soul would then be in seven pieces, seven being an extremely powerful number magically. If that were the case then how in the name of Merlin did they find them all. They would definitely not be easy to find and even if you could, Regulus wasn't exactly sure how to destroy one.

If there was one thing that Regulus would be doing throughout this series it would be looking for little clues. Certain things that point in one direction. It would certainly be interesting to see what was right in front of them from day one.

When Ginny had finished reading the chapter, Tom looked at her. "Can I read next?" He asked politely. Ginny smiled and nodded, handing the book over to him, open at the proper page. Tom scrutinised the book for a second before starting to read.

**BOOM. They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake.**

"**Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly.**

"Um...when doesn't he say things stupidly, Harry?" Dennis asked which caused a round of laughs. Dudley glared at the young man but didn't say anything.

"I'm not sure Dennis. I think he might have started to string together a comprehensible sentence around age twenty-three but I may be wrong," Harry replied, smiling at Dudley who mock-sneered.

**There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands **

Depending on who was saying it, there was either a "WHAT?" or a "What's a rifle?" Coming from every person in the room except those who had read the books and the Dursleys. Petunia was receiving glares from around the room and decided to speak up.

"I had no idea at the time that he had that," Petunia said timidly. "He pulled it out when he heard the banging. I was as shocked as you were, but I was also glad that he was going to protect us."

"PROTECT?" Dan Granger yelled. "Had the man even fired a gun before in his life?"

"Well, no...but –" Dan cut her off.

"You don't just get a gun and assume that you can fire it! What if he hit Harry or Dudley? That would have been _disasterous_!" The man was extremely angry, and Petunia noticed so didn't say anything.

"What exactly is a rifle?" Regulus asked, genuinely worried at what could have caused an outburst like that.

"It's a Muggle weapon designed to fire projectiles known as bullets at lethal speeds," Emma explained. "If hit in the right spot, they can kill on impact. Otherwise they seriously maim or permanently injure a person."

"So it's the Muggle attempt at a Killing Curse?" Regulus asked, sounding extremely curious for a Pureblood.

"I guess it could be taken that way," Hermione responded thoughtfully. "But Muggles have even more lethal weapons than rifles."

"Like what?" This time it was James who asked. Hermione, Dan and Emma looked at him seriously.

"Nuclear weapons," They all said at once. Hermione then continued. "But it would take far too long for us to explain them, so let's continue.

Tom was a little shocked at how the conversation was going but continued to read.

— **now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them.**

"**Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you — I'm armed!"**

**There was a pause. Then —**

**SMASH!**

**The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.**

**A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.**

Petunia and Dudley grimaced at the memory but everyone who knew Hagrid simply smiled and, in the case of the two sets of twins, some of the kids, Sirius and James, cheered.

**The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.**

"**Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey. …"**

**He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.**

"You're damn right I did!" Dudley suddenly exclaimed. "He was massive!"

"**Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger.**

"Hagrid isn't one to beat around the bush," Harry chuckled, causing most of the room to as well.

"Especially not if he's drunk enough," Charlie said with a smile.

"Charles Weasley!" Molly screeched.

**Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.**

"**An' here's Harry!" said the giant.**

**Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.**

"**Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mom's eyes."**

Nearly the entire room nodded except for Harry and Lily. They seemed to not really accept it as much as everyone else.

"Yeah. And now Al has the same eyes too," Ginny said happily. The little boy in question smiled at his mother and his green eyes twinkled.

**Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.**

"**I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"**

"Sorry to say it, but he does have a point," David said. The room wanted to refute that but they found that he was right. Hagrid really had no legal right to be in that 'house', especially given the way in which he actually got into the hut. But everyone knew that Vernon wouldn't have actually done anything about it. He and Petunia were too worried about their social image to associate themselves with such a person.

"**Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," **

The room laughed again, even Dudley and Petunia were laughing, even though their memories of that day were less than pleasant. Only Hagrid would say something like that.

**said the giant; he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room.**

"That's no easy feat," Dan commented with awe prevalent in his voice.

"You've met Hagrid before haven't you?" Harry asked. Dan nodded.

"We were getting Hermione's books for her Second Year. He was rather large wasn't he?" Those who knew Hagrid laughed. 'Rather large' didn't really begin to describe Hagrid.

**Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.**

"**Anyway — Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here — I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."**

"I would advise everyone to think twice before eating _anything_ Hagrid gives you," Sirius said seriously.

"No matter how good the intentions," Harry agreed.

**From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing.**

"That was my first cake, you know," Harry said. Immediately he wished he hadn't said it as he got quite a few pity looks, but it was broken up with the occasional glare towards Petunia and Dudley.

**Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you?"**

"I hope you teach your children better manners than that!" Alice said with a smile.

"I do. But what do you expect when you get treated how I did for ten years?" Harry asked. Alice's smile dropped and she looked directly to Petunia.

**The giant chuckled.**

"**True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."**

**He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm.**

"Not surprising," Percy commented. "He did the same thing when I met him in my first year. By then he wasn't wary of every Weasley to set foot in the castle," He glared at the twins who put on their best 'you aren't talking about me, surely' look.

"**What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."**

"Not a good idea," Charlie and Bill said at once. They hadn't thought it through.

"Charles and William Weasley!" Molly screeched. "Why do you keep saying things like that?"

"What? We've seen him drunk!" Charlie said much to the amusement of everyone present except his mother.

"It takes surprisingly little for Hagrid to get drunk, given how big he is," Bill said with a thoughtful look.

"It's because he's half-giant," Luna said, surprising only a few in the room. "Giants are notoriously easy to get drunk. Most take less than one full drink."

"You know this how?" Bill asked. Luna smiled.

"I found a giant camp," Was all she said, leaving everyone to wonder how exactly she coaxed the giants into actually drinking. Maybe she invented some form of drinking game. Every time someone grunts, they drink or something.

**His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. **

"The cheeky bugger!" Tonks snorted.

"What happened?" Colin asked.

"Haven't you ever wondered why Hagrid doesn't have a wand?" Tonks asked him.

"Not really. I just figured he just didn't have one," Colin said. "Or wasn't allowed one for some reason."

"You'll probably find out why soon," Tonks said. Colin nodded and Tom continued.

**It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath.**

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea. **

There was a mixture of laughs and amazed looks on the faces of people present. Only Hagrid would carry a kettle around with him. The fact that he seemed to be drinking alcohol wasn't good either.

**Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."**

"Good advice for once Vernon," Sirius said sagely, seeming not unlike Dumbledore.

**The giant chuckled darkly.**

"**Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry."**

"At there you have it folks!" Fred exclaimed.

"Hagrid! The bluntest man you'll ever meet!" George said.

"Don't expect him to hold back on you!"

"We aren't even sure if he could hold back!"

**He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful, but he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are."**

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.**

"**Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts — yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course."**

"HA!" Harry exclaimed dramatically, looking at Petunia.

"**Er — no," said Harry.**

**Hagrid looked shocked.**

"**Sorry," Harry said quickly.**

"It seems that my son is a little too quick with apologies. Why might that be Petunia?" James asked angrily. Petunia didn't answer so Tom continued.

"**Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all?"**

"If he didn't know about Hogwarts, how would he know about magic?" Myrtle asked. Everyone had to agree, but they all knew that Hagrid wasn't one to be able to put two and two together as simply as that.

"**All what?" asked Harry.**

"**ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!"**

**He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. **

"Ooh, this isn't going to end well," Remus said. Everyone silently agreed with him.

**The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.**

"**Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy — this boy! — knows nothin' abou' — about ANYTHING?"**

**Harry thought this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad.**

"**I know some things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff."**

"That's it Harry!" Sirius said with a smile. "Stand up for yourself. You'd need to learn eventually."

Petunia was fully aware of what Sirius meant by that.

**But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."**

"**What world?"**

**Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.**

"**DURSLEY!" he boomed.**

"I concur with what Moony said earlier," James said, cringing. "I nearly feel bad for them. Nearly."

**Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble." Hagrid stared wildly at Harry.**

"**But yeh must know about yer mom and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous."**

"He doesn't know about magic or Hogwarts, so how would he know that?" Myrtle said, shaking her head. There was a reason Hagrid wouldn't have ever been sorted into Ravenclaw by the looks of it.

"**What? My — my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?"**

"**Yeh don' know … yeh don' know …" Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare.**

"**Yeh don' know what yeh are?" he said finally.**

**Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.**

"It was hiding in a fat roll wasn't it?" Fabian said quickly.

"Maybe in one of his many, _many_ chins?" Gideon suggested.

"**Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"**

**A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.**

"**You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?"**

"**Kept what from me?" said Harry eagerly.**

"**STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.**

"He's staring down a man who is damn close to twelve feet tall and making demands?" Charlus laughed. "I think that man may be dumber than we give him credit for. If I understand Hagrid, and I'm not sure that I do, he won't exactly listen to threats from a Muggle let alone one like Vernon Dursley."

**Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.**

"**Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," **

"Classic!" Fred, George, Fabian and Gideon exclaimed, shaking their heads in mirth, all of them muttering 'go boil yer heads' under their breath.

**said Hagrid. "Harry — yer a wizard."**

**There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.**

"**I'm a what?" gasped Harry.**

"I said those same words," Lily said.

"So did I!" Hermione, Colin, Dennis and Myrtle all said.

"I said 'she's a what?' if that counts," Emma put in as a few people laughed.

"**A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. **

Draco felt the urge to snort, remembering his own thoughts being exactly the opposite in his early years. Now he saw things a little more objectively, he realised that the type of wizard that he thought Harry Potter was wouldn't be as successful as an Auror as he was.

**With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter."**

**Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. He pulled out the letter and read:**

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL  
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

**Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE  
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,  
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**

**Dear Mr. Potter,  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**

**Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.**

**Yours sincerely,**

**Minerva McGonagall,  
Deputy Headmistress**

**Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?"**

All the people in the room who had grown up with magic, shook their heads in mirth while the muggle-born or raised just agreed with Harry's sentiments.

"What?" Harry asked the people shaking their heads. "Most things on that page made sense to me. The owl part is a bit weird as Muggles don't use them."

"I actually asked what the Supreme Mugwump was," Hermione admitted.

"**Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl — a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl **

"That can't be good for it," Audrey said sounding quite worried.

"Yes. We've been hearing all about Harry's abuse and you're worried about an owl that Hagrid had," Percy said with a rare laugh. "It's endearing really," Audrey leaned over and kissed her husband before hitting him upside the head.

"That's for implying I didn't care," She huffed, with a smile.

— **a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could read upside down:**

_**Dear Professor Dumbledore,**_

_**Given Harry his letter.  
Taking him to buy his things tomorrow.  
Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.**_

_**Hagrid**_

"Hope you're well?" Ted asked with a chuckle. "Only Hagrid."

"Yeah. Only Hagrid could ever say 'hope you're well' in a letter to Albus Dumbledore when he likely only saw him a few hours before or a day at most," Sirius laughed. Albus was sitting in a lounge with his right arm around Ariana with a smile. His eyes were twinkling fiercely. It seemed that it didn't change when he was de-aged.

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone.**

**Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly.**

"Good," Lily said with a nod. Harry smiled at her, thinking how good it was to have his mother.

"**Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.**

"**He's not going," he said.**

"I'll give him points for persistence," Andromeda said. The room nodded.

**Hagrid grunted.**

"**I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said.**

"**A what?" said Harry, interested.**

"**A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call nonmagic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."**

"Did he mean that literally or figuratively?" Colin asked. Harry smiled.

"You know, I never gave it any thought. Probably both, though I'm not sure Hagrid could be that subtle," He said with a laugh as Hermione snorted.

"Hagrid and subtle do _not _go together at all," She said seriously.

"**We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!"**

"You can't 'stamp' magic out of anyone!" Narcissa said angrily. "If anything it would make things worse!"

Albus and Aberforth looked sadly at their little sister who looked very enthralled with the story.

"**You knew?" said Harry. "You knew I'm a — a wizard?"**

"**Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? **

"Dratted am I Tuney?" Lily said amusedly. "I've never heard anyone use _that_ to describe me before."

"I'm just glad I didn't say what else was on my mind at the time," Petunia muttered sadly. Remus heard her even though she was across the room from him. That got him thinking about why he still had enhanced hearing. No one had ever been cured of lycanthropy before, so perhaps that had something to do with it. Maybe all of the 'enhancements' never actually go away, only the werewolf side does. He put his hands together in thought as Tom continued to read.

Severus was silently brooding over Petunia's words and actions. He knew perfectly what the woman thought of Lily when Lily was alive, but he didn't know that she never got past it. Her sister died for Merlin's sake. And Lily was a wonderful woman. But Petunia couldn't accept that Lily was a witch when she wasn't. Severus gave only the slightest head shake and said nothing.

**Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that — that school — and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. **

"How could you do that?" Dennis asked curiously. "I mean, we aren't allowed to use magic at home under the age of seventeen."

"During the war, Millicent Bagnold, then Minister for Magic, rescinded that restriction for our own protection," Lily explained. "I would only assume that they would have done that in the second one?"

"No, they didn't," Ron said, sounding quite angry.

"Our Ministers were not the best," Hannah said. "But you'll find that out through the books."

"How many Ministers did you go through as you went through Hogwarts?" Frank asked.

"Three," Neville replied. "One was stupid, one was selfish and the other was, well, not good," He didn't really want to give too much away at the time, so he just left it at that. All of the people who hadn't lived through the war exchanged worried glances but didn't say anything else on the topic.

**I was the only one who saw her for what she was — a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"**

"So they should be," Nearly everyone said, including Albus.

**She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.**

"**Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as — as — abnormal — and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"**

"Ooh, not good Petunia," Fred said with a sly smile.

"Slipped up a bit there!" George said with a clap.

**Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!"**

"**CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. **

"I wouldn't wish an angry Hagrid on anyone," Edgar said with a shake of his head. "He can be downright scary."

"**How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!"**

"I can imagine," Robert said sadly. "Whoever killed Voldemort would get raised to the very pinnacle of fame in our world."

"Not that I ever wanted, or deserved it," Harry said grimly. No one heard him but Ginny, Tom, Lily II, Albus, Rose, Dennis and Colin.

"**But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently.**

**The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.**

"**I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh — but someone's gotta — yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'."**

"Who would be better than Hagrid?" Bill asked. "Other than Albus of course."

"No one," Harry said quickly. "Hagrid was the first real friend I ever had. I can't imagine being that way with Albus or Minerva."

**He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.**

"**Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh — mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it. …"**

**He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with — with a person called — but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows —"**

"**Who?"**

"**Well — I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."**

"Don't mind it so much now," Angelina said. "Harry helped to make people say it."

"**Why not?"**

"**Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went … bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was …"**

**Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.**

"He won't say it," Fred said. James and Sirius instantly perked up. George was about to say something but got cut off.

"Yes he will," James said eagerly.

"Definitely," Sirius agreed.

"Highly doubt it!" Fred said.

"Wanna bet then?" Sirius asked slyly.

"Fine. Two Galleons?" Fred asked. James and Sirius suddenly looked at each other.

"Fred, I don't think –" George began but Fred waved him off.

"Well we don't actually have money at the moment. We were thinking something more along the lines of...If we win you, both of you that is, have to do one thing we tell you to whenever we tell you to. If you win we'll do one thing you tell us to," James replied. Fred's eyes glinted.

"Sounds good," Fred replied. He shook hands with both Sirius and James as George groaned and put his head in his hands.

"**Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.**

"**Nah — can't spell it. All right — Voldemort." **

"Triumph!" James and Sirius fist-pumped the air before grinning evilly at the twins who looked quite frightened, George more so than Fred.

**Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this — this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too **

Severus and Regulus both instinctively grabbed their forearms before realising what they had done. They didn't like what they had done but they couldn't shake the habit. Even Severus who had an extra ten years to do so.

— **some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches … terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him — an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway.**

"That sounds foreboding," Alice commented. "Please tell me that he doesn't attack the school," None of the people who knew said anything. Alice and a few others paled.

"**Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before … probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side.**

"**Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em … maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. **

"We did escape him three times before," James said sadly. "That would make him angry enough to seek us out I think."

"We slipped away from him three times as well," Frank said.

**All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' — an' —"**

**Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.**

"**Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad — knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find **

"It's nice to know how Hagrid feels," Lily said. "It's just a bit sad that we had to wait until _after_ we died to hear it," That brought the tone of the room down even further because of the sheer morbidity of the statement.

— **anyway …**

"**You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then — an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing — he tried to kill you, too. **

Harry was a little surprised that pretty much everyone growled at the mention of what happened. He knew it was a terrible thing, but even those who knew still felt sickened by it. And he _was_ still sitting there.

**Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh — took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even — but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age — the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts — an' you was only a baby, an' you lived."**

The room was silent for a minute before someone unexpected spoke up.

"Why didn't you get the McKinnons?" Mad-Eye asked gruffly. Not angrily but very straight to the point. Harry sighed.

"We really thought long and hard about it. We did. But everyone in this room had some form of impact on us," He indicated himself, Ginny, Luna, Ron, Hermione, George and Angelina. "We didn't know anything about the McKinnons so we really didn't know where to start with them. Everyone else here we at least had a starting point. I know it seems bad, but we really didn't see a point."

"It's not that we don't care," Angelina interjected quickly. "But we had to look at the big picture. And sadly, the McKinnons weren't in it. The extent of our knowledge on them were that they were strong and members of the Order of the Phoenix. Not much to go based off."

Everyone in the room contemplated Harry and Angelina's words. Harry felt immensely guilty having not gotten the McKinnons. Some people in this room must have had some form of connection with them, but Harry had to make a decision.

Not everyone in the room fully accepted what Harry and Angelina said, but they could understand the reasoning.

**Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before — and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh.**

"You actually remembered him?" Colin asked sadly while Lily sunk into James' arms. Harry nodded.

"Sometimes it was clearer than others," Harry was thinking primarily about the Dementors. "But yeah. I remember him on that night."

**Hagrid was watching him sadly.**

"**Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot …"**

"**Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.**

"I have to say that man needs to sort out his priorities," Myrtle said with a huff, not really caring that his family was right there. "Why would he anger a man like Hagrid?"

"Because he feels that he is above the magical world completely," Harry replied in a monotone. "And that includes Hagrid."

"**Now, you listen here, boy," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured **

"He didn't actually beat you did he?" Lily asked worriedly while shooting a glare at Petunia. Harry shook his head.

"Not really. He mainly left that up to Dudley," Harry replied carefully as Lily glared at Dudley. "I think he was afraid of actually touching me himself."

"Good," James and Lily said together, both glaring at the Dursleys.

— **and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdos, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion **

"Your world's just gotten a whole lot worse Dursley," Amelia said angrily.

— **asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types — just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end —"**

**But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. **

Snickers came from around the room from those who knew what was actually in that umbrella.

"Why would he be brandishing an umbrella like that?" Leigh asked, feeling confused.

"Just wait a while and you'll find out," Teddy replied with a chuckle. Leigh and David both nodded. Apparently Hermione had filled her parents in on Hagrid's little bit of law-breaking and Petunia and Dudley weren't really talking or doing anything at all.

**Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley — I'm warning you — one more word …"**

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.**

"I don't know whether to say he's consistent or not," Felula said.

"Yeah. One second he's full of courage and then he's frightened," Tonks said with a smile. "I guess you could say he's consistently inconsistent."

"**That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.**

**Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them.**

"**But what happened to Vol-, sorry — I mean, You-Know-Who?"**

"**Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see … he was gettin' more an' more powerful — why'd he go?**

"That's a fair point," Amelia commented. "Why would he disappear if he was so powerful. Even if he couldn't kill Harry, he would still have had his powers."

"**Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back.**

Mad-Eye snorted. "I don't care what anyone says. Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater," He shot a look at Severus and Regulus while keeping his magic eye trained on the book.

"**Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on — I dunno what it was, no one does — but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."**

**Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard? **

The room broke into laughter, which Harry was grateful for. He was happy that people weren't going to get angry at the mere mention of the cupboard.

Lily, on the other hand, was not taking it so well. She didn't really like any of this. Why should Hagrid, of all people, tell Harry? Why wouldn't Albus tell him himself. Why not Minerva? Hagrid wasn't exactly the best person to get Harry. Albus surely knew at least a bit about what Petunia was like, so why didn't he send someone more like a Muggle. Hell, Severus could pass as a Muggle well enough. Lily sighed, thinking that maybe Albus Dumbledore truly thought Petunia would treat Harry properly.

**If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?**

Those who knew what a football was, growled and those who didn't asked someone who did. Luckily for Draco and Narcissa, Astoria knew a bit about the Muggle world and filled them in.

"**Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard."**

**To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled.**

"I really thought he was going to actually tell me it was a joke," Harry said with a strange smile.

"**Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?"**

**Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it … every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry … chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach … dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back … **

Tonks giggled like a child when she heard that, thinking that Harry could be a metamorphmagus.

**and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him?**

**Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him.**

"**See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard — you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."**

**But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.**

"For the love of Merlin!" Augusta exclaimed. "That man will be the death of me! Interrupting constantly! Ruining the story! Being fat!"

Everyone laughed uproariously at what Augusta said, but she simply continued to glare at Petunia as she had been for the fifteen minutes at least. Augusta was liable to hold grudges and keep them for very long periods of time

"**Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish — spell books and wands and —"**

"'e can't even count!" Fleur said with a laugh. "_A_ wand. Not wands!"

"**If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. His name's been down ever since he was born. **

"To be fair," Albus began. "Every magical child in Europe is down when they're born."

**He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. **

Harry, Hermione and Ron all snorted at how true that statement actually was. Some people looked at them, but Harry just told Tom to keep reading.

**He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had, Albus Dumbled—"**

"**I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon.**

"Oh no," Charlie said. "That's not good."

"What?" Cedric asked. He didn't really have all that much to do with Hagrid when he was at Hogwarts. He was nice enough, but Cedric didn't just chat with him.

"I'm pretty sure you'll see," Charlie said, shaking his head.

**But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER —" he thundered, "— INSULT — ALBUS — DUMBLEDORE — IN — FRONT — OF — ME!"**

**He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley — there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. **

Cedric's eyes widened in recognition of what Charlie meant and then broke out laughing. He knew the spell himself. Around the room, people were looking on in confusion.

**When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.**

Dudley put his hands on his behind as the room erupted in laughter, led primarily by Fred, George, Fabian and Gideon, who were also pointing at Dudley as they laughed.

"Is it still there?" The two sets of twins asked before laughing again.

"No. We got it removed," Dudley said quietly.

"Completely?" Harry asked with a knowing smirk. Dudley looked at his shoes as everyone laughed again.

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.**

"He's gone!" Augusta cried happily. "Now things can actually move ahead. Read on!"

**Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.**

"**Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."**

The room roared in laughter again at that statement. Dudley was suitably embarrassed, but didn't say or do anything in retaliation.

**He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows.**

"**Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm — er — not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff — one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job —"**

"Hagrid'll do anything to do a bit of magic," Harry chuckled.

"I think I'll just pretend I never heard any of that," Amelia said as she began to whistle, much to the amusement of the others present.

"**Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry.**

"**Oh, well — I was at Hogwarts meself but I — er — got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore."**

"That he is," Most of the room said. Albus put his head down and felt himself begin to blush. He was never really used to all that attention.

"**Why were you expelled?"**

"**It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. **

"Subtle," Draco said sarcastically. Harry wanted to glare at him, but he knew that Draco was very right. Hagrid was one of the least subtle people Harry knew.

"**Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that."**

**He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry.**

"You got to wear it too?" Dennis asked excitedly.

"Yeah. But I think the way you got to was way cooler," Harry said. Dennis nodded quickly.

"**You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."**

"Why would he need dormice while trailing Harry?" Lily asked the room. No one really had an answer except 'it's Hagrid' which really wasn't satisfactory.

"That's all for that chapter," Tom said, handing the book back to Harry. Tom was feeling quite excited that he would be learning about the magical world very soon.

Tom didn't like the sound of that Voldemort guy. How could anyone ever try to kill a child? It sickened Tom and, not for the last time, he thanked whatever God may be out there that his Mum and Dad were not like that. He looked at his father, who was passing the book on to James II and sighed. He wondered exactly how he had gotten through those ten years with the Dursleys. Tom didn't think he would have been able to. He was only just seven! He hadn't even _lived_ ten years!

James Potter found that he was being pretty quiet during the reading considering that it was about his son. He was very happy that Hagrid would be taking Harry to Diagon Alley but he was definitely _not_ happy with the Dursleys. They were really getting under his skin. He had met Petunia and Vernon before and they did not like him one iota. It wasn't really surprising that they remained hateful so long after, but he would not accept that they were treating Harry like dirt because of it. Perhaps if they were only stopping Harry from going to Hogwarts, James might have understood, but it wasn't just that. They actually tried to beat the magic out of his son. It was taking all of the Occlumency exercises James knew to stop him from hexing Dudley and Petunia into oblivion or apparating to Vernon and doing the same to him.

Sirius Black was pleasantly surprised with himself. He was angry, no doubt about it, but the old Sirius would have attacked the Dursleys a _lot_ by now. But Sirius was able to stop himself. He reminded himself that they were there because Harry invited them. That thought helped Sirius stop himself a lot. He trusted Harry more so than he trusted himself, really. He also had to admit that he was laughing quite a bit as well which helped. He was thoroughly looking forward to what he and James would do to Fred and George.

George Weasley was concerned for his health. Fred had done a very stupid thing. George had read the books and knew precisely what Hagrid would do. But Fred didn't listen so now he would have to pay the price as well. A price delivered by two of the three Marauders. Three. Not four. To say George was concerned was quite the understatement. Fred Weasley was not as concerned as his twin. He had made a bet and lost. That was it. He didn't understand George's anxiety. _It's not like they're the Marauders or anything_, Fred thought with a laugh. And then he remembered that they had been calling each other Padfoot and Prongs. And Remus was Moony. Fred stared disbelievingly at them for a second before slumping in defeat.

Dorea Potter was listening intently the whole time. She was brought up as a Black so knew how to act appropriately when during meetings of this nature. She scolded herself when she got worked up about the Dursleys thinking they could stamp out magic, and said nothing for the remainder of the chapter. She wasn't happy about what was going on in the story, but she found herself becoming excited about it. The books wouldn't have done well in the Muggle world without something to keep them interested, so there would have to be something happening. Personally, she was excited at the prospect. All she could do was wait and see what it was.

Percy Weasley had been through his eldest daughter reading these books, but he had never done so himself. He never had any desire to, if he was telling the truth. But she had told him all about things she found interesting. Percy had listened to her, but didn't really take an interest. He had been around for it. But Molly II had never mentioned all of this about Harry. Despite Percy reuniting with his family, he still had some qualms about Harry. The first few chapters of this book seemed to be softening Percy a little. He was actually quite surprised about the treatment Harry received as a child. Actually, he was quite angry at the Ministry for not doing something about it. He couldn't really fault Dumbledore for placing Harry with the Dursleys. What should he have done? Raised Harry on his own when he already had three very prominent jobs. No. Percy thought Dumbledore made the only decision that he could, given the situation.

Molly Weasley was feeling quite apprehensive going into these books. Sure, she had heard most of what had occurred over the years from Harry or Ron or Hermione or Ginny, but it was very different for it to be in so much detail. She never realised how bad the Dursleys actually were until she heard these chapters read. Now she knew why Harry liked the Burrow so much as a kid. It wasn't Number Four, Privet Drive. That and he was actually treated with love and respect at the Burrow. A part of Molly wanted to go back and be even kinder to that little boy. She felt immensely sad that he had grown up without an ounce of love. Molly couldn't even fathom what that must have been like, given that she grew up with, and created her own, loving family.

Astoria Malfoy was sitting back in her chair and listening intently. She never really knew all that much about Harry Potter beyond what she heard and what Draco had told her. The one thing that kept coming up in her mind in these chapters was how wrong nearly every perception of Harry was. Despite being in Slytherin and marrying a Malfoy, Astoria had no inclination towards the Dark. That didn't mean she was inclined to the Light either. It was more like she didn't much care unless she was dragged into something. She felt that Harry would have been like that had he not been a target in the war. There was no reason for him to be involved after eleven years as a Muggle. And an abused Muggle at that.

While everyone else was feeling bad for Harry Potter, Aberforth Dumbledore wasn't. Well, perhaps a little, but he couldn't help but think that the boy had it better than he had. For one thing, he only spent ten years with those people. Aberforth had one hundred years of torture to remember with only a few bright spots. Very few. With that being said, Aberforth didn't think that any child should be treated in that manner. He couldn't think what his reaction would be if his sister was treated like that. He would likely follow his father's example.

* * *

**_Author's Note_**

**Sorry it took so long to get this done. Had a terrible week. Anyways, there it is. I hope this is up to standard. I'm going to enjoy writing what James and Sirius do to Fred and George in the future. Gives me something to write about anyway.**

**The start of next chapter will be another Albus Dumbledore one. If you want me to do an in-depth chapter beginning of any of the characters reading, let me know and I'll do it. Actually, I just realised that I never posted a list of the people who are reading. I'll do that now.**

**Luna Scamander****  
Harry Potter  
****Ginny Potter****  
James Potter II****  
Tom Potter  
****Colin Creevey****  
Dennis Creevey  
****Ron Weasley  
****Hermione Weasley  
****Fred Weasley****  
George Weasley  
****Angelina Weasley  
****Fred Weasley II****  
Roxanne Weasley****  
Charlie Weasley  
****James Potter****  
Lily Potter****  
Albus Dumbledore****  
Ariana Dumbledore****  
Aberforth Dumbledore****  
Neville Longbottom****  
Hannah Longbottom  
****Severus Snape  
****Regulus Black****  
Cedric Diggory****  
Cho Chang****  
Amos Diggory****  
Cordelia Diggory  
****Amelia Bones****  
Susan Bones****  
Edgar Bones****  
Patricia Bones  
****Marilyn Bones  
****Stephen Bones****  
Susie Bones  
****Robert Bones  
****Xenophilius Lovegood  
****Francis Lovegood****  
Nymphadora Tonks  
****Remus Lupin****  
Teddy Lupin  
****Andromeda Tonks****  
Ted Tonks****  
Molly Weasley****  
Arthur Weasley  
****Astoria Malfoy  
****Draco Malfoy****  
Narcissa Malfoy  
****Bill Weasley  
Fleur Weasley  
****Victoire Weasley****  
Dominique Weasley  
****Dan Granger****  
Emma Granger****  
Eileen Snape****  
Myrtle Tomlins  
****Petunia Dursley  
****Dudley Dursley  
****Percy Weasley  
****Audrey Weasley  
Molly Weasley II  
****Lucy Weasley  
****David Evans  
****Leigh Evans  
****Charlus Potter  
****Dorea Potter  
****Fabian Prewett  
****Gideon Prewett****  
Alastor Moody  
****Frank Longbottom****  
Alice Longbottom****  
Augusta Longbottom**

**That's all the people who are going to actually be reading the chapters. The rest of the kids are there but won't be involved very much.**

**Thanks to _HarryPotterNut94_, _DrinkingAlcoholicRainbows_, _Dragon0328_, _starxwind_, _Maycie_, _SokkasFirstFangirl_, _Shinigami_, _Taeniaea_, _beverlie4055_, _RoseWeasleyRoxX_, _My'Names'Amber'Louise_, _GHTWS_, _Luna's Deathly Hallows_ and _SkylerBlack_ for reviewing. You guys are all awesome. **

**_GHTWS_ - Well thank you. I hope you don't hate that I took so long to post another chapter. Life got in the way.**

**_Shinigami_ - The next few chapters should be interesting. I have a reaction from Frank and Alice planned that I hope you'll like. I am going with Lily being Neville's godmother, though I'm not sure about his godfather. I'll work it out.**

**I think the rest of the reviews that I wanted to reply to have been done through PM. So that's it for this update.**

**This coming week should be better for updates than the last. I have only one test which is on the Friday. I may get a few chapters up. I'm aiming for four or five, not including this one. May even get another one done today, but don't get your hopes up. **

**Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**

**Beletrium/Koldrian  
**


	17. PS 5 Diagon Alley

_**Disclaimer**_** - I do not intend any copyright infringement. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. This story is purely for the enjoyment of fanfiction readers and the author. There is not any money being made from this story, nor will there ever be any made. Any mention of the _Harry Potter_ books is used as a purely entertaining source. All content in this chapter in bold is owned by J.K. Rowling and not me. I use it to further my story.**

* * *

_**PS 5: Diagon Alley**_

Albus couldn't believe that Harry could actually remember Voldemort. It was shocking that he remembered the Killing Curse itself, but to remember the man who cast it was mind-boggling. He began to think that there may be something more to that lightning bolt scar.

Of course, he had thought about it in the past. It seemed very strange to have a scar that perfectly shaped. That's what lead Albus to believe that it was from the Killing Curse that rebounded rather than, say, a severing charm. But he honestly thought it was purely a scar. But maybe it wasn't. Maybe it was something more.

Albus hoped that the books would give him the answers that he wanted about all of this and, frankly, was quite excited to read about it. It would have been quite bad to have lived it, assuming he was right about what was to happen. But Albus' memory was only up until just after Harry had gone with Hagrid to get his things. Everything past that was something that Albus wanted to know. It would be intriguing to say the least.

He believed that Voldemort would return somehow. He did not know how or when, but he certainly knew why. Voldemort wanted power. That was all he wanted. He craved it. Dumbledore knew the feeling from his youth. But since then, he had tried to avoid power. He accepted the places in the Wizengamot and such because it was expected of him, being as strong as he was. But he would never ask for complete jurisdiction over Magical Britain. That would be too much.

Despite what many people believed about him, Albus did know his limits. He knew when to stop. He didn't know that as a youth and it lead to his little sister's death. That thought was what kept Albus in line since that time. He even thought that it would still happen despite Ariana being back in his least, he hoped that it would. He knew that he would be inundated with offers because he had been, in essence, brought back to life.

But, first and foremost, he wanted to know what had happened. He may not be happy in parts, but he would bear it all just to see what happened. He hadn't felt like that since he first heard of the elusive Deathly Hallows. He drew his wand discretely and looked at it and, as it had since he won it, his thoughts drifted to Gellert and what he, Albus, had sacrificed to retrieve the Elder Wand. Even if he wouldn't get the set, Albus knew that it was imperative to keep the wand out of the wrong hands. He hoped that the wand did not come into play in the books.

Harry was holding the book and was about to ask the room who wanted to read next but he was approached by his son, James II.

"Hey, Dad? Can I read next?" James II asked. Harry was impressed by the politeness shown by his normally not-so-polite son.

"Of course, James," Harry said with a smile, handing the book to his son.

"Thanks dad," James II said with a smile. "I'll stay here while I'm reading."

"Sounds good," Harry said as James II sat at his feet, next to where Albus and Rose were playing. He then began to read.

**Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight.**

"**It was a dream," he told himself firmly. "I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard."**

"Why did you say that?" Victoire asked suddenly. This was one of the questions she had wanted to ask. "Surely you would have wanted it to be true."

"I did," Harry agreed. "But I found that I never really got what I wanted with the Dursleys so I just felt it was easier to pretend it was a dream. It was easier to not be disappointed," Once again, Harry got the looks that he didn't really want from people around the room.

"Oh," Victoire exclaimed. She found herself saddened by the answer.

**There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.**

**And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door, Harry thought, his heart sinking. But he still didn't open his eyes. It had been such a good dream.**

**Tap. Tap. Tap.**

"I can see how you would think that was your Aunt," Colin said as other people agreed with his sentiment.

"**All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up."**

**He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him. **

"I bet that was proof that it wasn't a dream wasn't it?" Sirius laughed.

"That it was. You don't wake up with Hagrid's coat on you and not realise something's up. That thing's heavy," Harry watched as Dennis nodded fervently. He knew full well how heavy Hagrid's coat was.

**The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak.**

**Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him. **

"Did you actually think that?" Draco snickered. Harry shook his head in mirth.

"Not at all. When I first read that, I thought very hard about whether I did, but it turns out it was the author just adding to the book," He replied.

**He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.**

"**Don't do that."**

The purebloods laughed. "I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that to an owl," Charlus said with a laugh.

"I remember the first time Harry sent Hedwig to my parents' house and she pecked at my father's ear," Hermione grinned at her parents who were also smiling. "I believe Dad said that as well, but a lot angrier."

"I wasn't used to owls," Dan said defensively as Emma broke out into giggles.

**Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat.**

"**Hagrid!" said Harry loudly. "There's an owl —"**

"**Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa.**

"Helpful," Eileen said sarcastically.

"**What?"**

"**He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets."**

"But he doesn't even know about wizarding currency," Susan said exasperatedly.

**Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets — bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags … finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins.**

"**Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily.**

Near enough to everyone in the room shook their heads at Hagrid. But all of them knew that they wouldn't change Hagrid for anything.

"**Knuts?"**

"**The little bronze ones."**

**Harry counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Harry could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window.**

**Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched.**

"**Best be off, Harry, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school."**

**Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. He had just thought of something that made him feel as though the happy balloon inside him had got a puncture.**

The room snickered at the imagery while Harry shook his head. He couldn't believe that anything like that was written about him.

"**Um — Hagrid?"**

"**Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.**

"**I haven't got any money — and you heard Uncle Vernon last night … he won't pay for me to go and learn magic."**

"I doubt he'll have to worry about that," Regulus said knowingly. "The Potter family is quite wealthy and I'm sure James and Lily would have left a trust fund for him if not all of their money."

"Yeah. We set up a trust fund the day after Harry was born," James said soberly. "Given that there was a war going on, we felt it best."

"**Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"**

"**But if their house was destroyed —"**

"Come on, Harry! Muggles have banks!" Dennis said, laughing.

"I didn't have all that much to do with money when I was young," Harry said with a shrug. "I just didn't know."

"**They didn' keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold — an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither."**

"Birthday cake for breakfast! Honestly," Lily huffed. Harry laughed so she looked at him. "What's funny?"

"I've always remembered Hagrid saying that. In our household, we always have cake for breakfast on our birthdays," Harry then turned to Tom. "That reminds me. I'll make you a cake for tomorrow morning, Tommy."

"You don't have to," Tom said shyly, but Harry hugged him.

"I know that. But I'll do it anyway. Okay?" Harry asked. Tom nodded with a surprised look on his face.

"**Wizards have banks?"**

"**Just the one. Gringotts. **

"Well, actually, that isn't completely true," Hermione began and everyone who knew her, including her parents, groaned and sunk back into their chairs. She seemed to catch on and scowled. "Fine. I won't tell you that there are banks in other countries too. Your loss."

**Run by goblins."**

**Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding.**

"**Goblins?"**

"**Yeah — so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. **

Victoire, Teddy, Molly II and the adults who were in the know all shared looks and snickered.

"What?" Lily asked. She didn't get any answers because they all simply snickered again.

**Never mess with goblins, Harry. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe — 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." **

"That doesn't sound good," Myrtle said ominously.

**Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you — gettin' things from Gringotts — knows he can trust me, see.**

People around the room nodded at that statement, though Harry, Ron and Hermione knew that it wasn't always the case. This year was fairly evident of that.

"**Got everythin'? Come on, then."**

**Harry followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.**

"**How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat.**

"**Flew," said Hagrid.**

"How in Merlin's name did Hagrid fly?" Fred asked incredulously.

"You know, I really don't know the answer to that," Harry said pensively. "I doubt he could fly a broom...maybe a Thestral? Or even a Hippogriff?"

"They make the most sense," Luna replied. "Both can take quite heavy loads."

"Thestral? Hippogriff?" Tom asked. Harry smiled at him.

"I'll show you a Hippogriff one day. I can only hope you'll never see a Thestral," there was a chorus of 'here, here' from most magical people in the room.

"**Flew?"**

"**Yeah — but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh."**

**They settled down in the boat, Harry still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.**

Molly II giggled. "I imagined him with massive wings," She said. As people imagined that in their minds, they laughed.

"**Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Harry another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter — er — speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?"**

"Ahem," Both Albus and Amelia said at once.

"I think I may have gone deaf for a few seconds," Amelia said, pretending to clean out her ears. Albus said nothing but smiled.

"**Of course not," said Harry, eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land.**

"**Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Harry asked.**

"**Spells — enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there's dragons guardin' the high-security vaults. **

"Is there really?" James II suddenly asked.

"Yes," Harry, Ron and Hermione replied in a monotone that got everyone's attention.

Lily wasn't happy with that response. They made it seem like they had broken into Gringott's and seen a dragon. How in the world could they have done such a thing and survived? Preposterous.

**And then yeh gotta find yer way — Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."**

**Harry sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Harry had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, he'd never had so many questions in his life.**

"**Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page.**

"They were okay when we left," James said seriously. "Weren't really getting close to getting rid of Voldemort but they were trying."

"That's a damn sight better than what they did for us," Mad-Eye growled. "Idiots, the lot of them!"

"**There's a Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked, before he could stop himself.**

" '**Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. **

"WHAT?" James, Lily, Frank, Alice, Charlus, Dorea, Fabian, Gideon, Edgar, Patricia, Robert, Susie and, surprisingly, Regulus all yelled.

"Fudge?" Frank asked, looking both disgusted and shocked. "Wasn't he that fool in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes?"

"Indeed he was," Albus said gravely. His memories showed him that Cornelius was always going to him for advice.

"But what about Barty Crouch?" Alice asked. Those who knew about Crouch and his son or read the books flinched slightly but neither Alice nor Frank saw.

"I don't really understand why Cornelius got the job. Alas, he did," Albus said.

**Bungler if ever there was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice."**

"**But what does a Ministry of Magic do?"**

"**Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country."**

"**Why?"**

"**Why? Blimey, Harry, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone."**

"I'm not so sure anymore," Hermione said. "Muggle technology is fast approaching what we can do. In fact, there are a lot of ways that Muggles have better technology than us. The Internet for example. The magical world could use a bit of an upgrade."

"Yeah," Neville said with a smile. "They could start by using those pen things. Quills and ink are too cumbersome and expensive."

**At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street.**

**Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Harry couldn't blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Harry? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?"**

"Idiot!" Mad-Eye exclaimed. Most people were startled but some had realised it was coming. "You don't go around talking like that! It's bad enough he's as big as a damn house!"

"Calm down Alastor," Albus said kindly, but received a glare from Mad-Eye.

"**Hagrid," said Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up, "did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?"**

"**Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."**

"I think that's why he likes me so much," Charlie said proudly.

"You _own_ a dragon?" Dorea asked disbelievingly.

"Well, no. I work in Romania as a dragon-handler," Charlie said, showing off the visible scars on his arms.

"Nothing to be proud of," Molly muttered but no-one heard her.

"**You'd like one?"**

"**Wanted one ever since I was a kid — here we go."**

**They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money," as he called it, gave the bills to Harry so he could buy their tickets.**

"Most money I'd held in my life up to that point," Harry said reflectively.

**People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent.**

"There are so many things about that sentence," Leigh said with a grin. "Let's start with 'what was he making?'"

"Not sure. I think it was a blanket for Fang," Harry said.

"Fang?" David asked.

"His dog," Harry said. "Silly name, really. Friendliest dog you'll ever meet."

"And most cowardly," Ron put in. Harry laughed.

"Yeah. That too," He said.

"You've got to look out for the animals with cute names," Hermione said, remembering Fluffy. "He names the most dangerous ones cute names."

"**Still got yer letter, Harry?" he asked as he counted stitches.**

**Harry took the parchment envelope out of his pocket.**

"**Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need."**

**Harry unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn't noticed the night before, and read:**

_**HOGWARTS SCHOOL  
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**_

_**UNIFORM**_

_**First-year students will require:  
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)  
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear**_

"When was the last time we ever wore those?" George asked.

"Not sure, my dear brother. I remember using them though," Fred replied with a smirk.

"Yes. Just never on our heads," George agreed.

"Never!" The two chorused.

_**3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)  
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)  
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags**_

_**COURSE BOOKS**_

_**All students should have a copy of each of the following:**_

_**The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk  
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot  
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling  
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch  
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore  
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger  
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander  
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble**_

_**OTHER EQUIPMENT**_

_**1 wand  
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)  
1 set glass or crystal phials  
1 telescope  
1 set brass scales**_

_**Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad**_

_**PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS**_

"**Can we buy all this in London?" Harry wondered aloud.**

"You weren't even aware how much was in London were you?" Audrey asked. Harry shook his head sadly.

"**If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid.**

**Harry had never been to London before. Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground,**

"How could he not?" Ginny asked with a laugh. "He's huge!"

**and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow.**

"**I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic," he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops.**

Mad-Eye was looking quite irritated at that statement but said nothing. He would wait until something truly and immensely stupid happened. Bide his time. That's it.

**Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Harry had to do was keep close behind him. They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. **

Bill laughed. "I could imagine a Muggle-Born wandering around London asking random stores if they sold wands."

"That reminds me Hermione. How did you first get to Diagon Alley?" Harry asked. He had never gotten around to asking her about that.

"Minerva told me, mum and dad where the Leaky Cauldron was and told us to just ask the bartender," She replied. "I think the system should be changed. They should have some people employed to go with Muggle-Borns and their families to Diagon Alley."

"I agree," Dan said. "When we went there the first time it was so overwhelming. We didn't know anything."

"The same happened with us and Lily," David said. "In fact, I think it was the same woman who came and saw us."

"It was, Dad," Lily replied.

**This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them? Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks? Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up? **

Lily snorted. "Petunia has no sense of humor. At all. Ever. It couldn't be a joke."

Petunia knew that Lily was right. Petunia thought that her sense of humor had gotten better over the years. Something about having grandchildren does that to you.

**If Harry hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humor, he might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told him so far was unbelievable, Harry couldn't help trusting him.**

"**This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place."**

**It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. **

Fabian had his hands up as if weighing something. Gideon was doing the same thing.

"A famous place," Fabian said.

"A tiny, grubby-looking pub," Gideon said.

"Hmm..." Both said together.

**If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Harry wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. **

"Muggle repelling charms," Arthur said with a smile. "Amazing things. Imagine how much more difficult it would be if we didn't have them."

"Actually, that's something I've always wondered," Neville said quietly. "If the Leaky Cauldron has Muggle repelling charms, how do Muggles get in there when they're with magical children?"

"Well," Arthur began, looking quite excited. "The charms on the Leaky Cauldron are weaker than normal ones. Muggles _can _see it as long as they know that it's there. Ingenious really."

**Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he and Hagrid could see it. Before he could mention this, Hagrid had steered him inside.**

**For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. **

"Oh my!" Amos exclaimed with a chuckle. "That describes old Tom fantastically. Toothless walnut indeed!" The room laughed along with Amos, particularly those who had actually met Tom before.

**The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"**

"**Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," **

"Perhaps he does have some sense," Molly said with a huff. She really thought that Hagrid ought to drink less alcohol. That's at least three times in the space of less than twenty-four hours that it's been mentioned.

**said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry's shoulder and making Harry's knees buckle.**

"That is quite annoying isn't it?" Bill asked amusedly. "It still happens and I'm fully grown."

"Yeah. But he does mean well," Harry said, smiling.

"**Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Harry, "is this — can this be — ?"**

"And here it is folks," Fred announced.

"The very first time Harry was ever spotted as a celebrity!" George said with a massive grin.

"Shut it!" Ginny said. Much to the amusement of most people in the room, Fred and George both shrunk back under their sister's gaze.

**The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.**

"**Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Harry Potter … what an honor."**

_And so it begins_, Severus thought wryly, with a sneer on his face.

_And so it begins_, Draco thought. Despite that he thought Harry was strong, he still thought that Harry was just a bit arrogant.

**He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes.**

"**Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back."**

**Harry didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. **

_Okay, maybe he's not liking it_, Draco thought, feeling strangely let down.

_Give him time_, Severus thought with a sneer.

**The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming.**

**Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry found himself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.**

"How did you deal with that?" Susan asked. Harry shrugged.

"There really weren't that many people there," He said.

"**Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."**

"**So proud, Mr. Potter, I'm just so proud."**

"**Always wanted to shake your hand — I'm all of a flutter."**

"**Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle."**

"IDIOT!" Mad-Eye yelled, leaping to his feet and pointing his wand around like the man was in the room. Several people in the room became slightly scared of the crazed, paranoid old Auror "Must he continue to mock me?"

"Don't worry," Harry replied with a smile. "He's rarely, if at all, mentioned until the fifth book."

"Good! Dunno how much I'd have taken," Mad-Eye said, sitting back down.

"**I've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop."**

"**He remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? He remembers me!"**

People in the room braced themselves but Mad-Eye simply growled.

**Harry shook hands again and again — Doris Crockford kept coming back for more.**

"Crazy old bat," Molly said. "You know she actually babysat me when I was young. She wasn't quite sane then either."

Fred and George bit back their retorts they had on the tips of their tongues. They didn't much want to be yelled at for calling their mother old.

**A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.**

"**Professor Quirrell!" **

Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville, Hannah, Felula, Angelina, Fred, George, Cedric, Susan, Amelia, Victoire, Molly II and Teddy all stopped themselves from growling at the name. They really didn't want to reveal it too early.

**said Hagrid. "Harry, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."**

"**P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you."**

"Geez," James said. "What happened to him? He was three years above us at Hogwarts."

"It gets mentioned," Ron replied cryptically.

"**What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"**

"**D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. "N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought.**

"He doesn't sound very qualified to teach," Alice said.

"You'll find that very few of our Defence Against The Dark Arts teachers end up being very qualified," Harry replied.

**But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Harry to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.**

"**Must get on — lots ter buy Come on, Harry."**

"He couldn't have done that earlier?" Marilyn asked.

"Would have made things worse, I think," Remus said. "It would have made them all more frantic."

**Doris Crockford shook Harry's hand one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.**

**Hagrid grinned at Harry.**

"**Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh — mind you, he's usually tremblin'."**

"**Is he always that nervous?"**

"**Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience. … They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag — **

"That'd do it," James said with a cringe. "That would certainly make you tremble."

**never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject — **

"How does he teach it then?" Lily asked with a huff.

"He doesn't," Everyone who had him said immediately. Dumbledore was beginning to get worried about the hostilities towards Quirinus and began to wonder exactly why it was. He was a good Muggle Studies teacher so why would he be a terrible Defence teacher?

**now, where's me umbrella?"**

**Vampires? Hags? Harry's head was swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can.**

"**Three up … two across …" he muttered. "Right, stand back, Harry."**

**He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.**

**The brick he had touched quivered — it wriggled — in the middle, a small hole appeared — it grew wider and wider — a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.**

"**Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley."**

"Whoa!" Tom exclaimed as people looked at him with smiles. He turned to Harry, ignoring the others in the room.

"Can we go there?" He asked quickly before blushing and looking down. He felt that he was being childish and he thought it wasn't wanted.

"Maybe tomorrow morning before we start reading again?" Harry suggested. Tom looked up in alarm, not really expecting that answer. "Sound good?" Tom answered by hugging him.

**He grinned at Harry's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall.**

**The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons — All Sizes — Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver — Self-Stirring — Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.**

"**Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first."**

**Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, sixteen Sickles an ounce, they're mad."**

"Wait a minute!" Molly exclaimed. "That was me! I remember because I really thought that was outrageous."

"I suspected it was you after reading the books," Harry replied.

**A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium — Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Harry heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand — fastest ever —" **

"Must be a new one," James muttered. And then louder he announced. "I'm going with Harry to Diagon Alley to look at brooms!"

"So will I!" Sirius, Fabian, Gideon and Charlus said.

"Like kids they are," Dorea said with a shake of her head. Molly and Lily nodded in agreement.

**There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon. …**

"**Gringotts," said Hagrid.**

**They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was —**

"**Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. **

"You know, that's about the nicest description of a goblin I've ever heard," Albus said with a smile. "They are often looked down upon."

"To be honest, that's the author's description not mine," Harry replied with a wry smile.

**He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them: **

_**Enter, stranger, but take heed  
Of what awaits the sin of greed,  
For those who take, but do not earn,  
Must pay most dearly in their turn.  
So if you seek beneath our floors  
A treasure that was never yours,  
Thief, you have been warned, beware  
Of finding more than treasure there.**_

"**Like I said, yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.**

"Yes. You would," Lily said sternly and warily, looking at those who had snickered earlier. More snickers greeted her and she found that she was quite worried about what that meant.

**A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Harry made for the counter.**

"**Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's safe."**

"**You have his key, sir?"**

"**Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblins book of numbers. **

"Dog biscuits?" Stephen asked. Everyone who knew Hagrid just shook their heads in amusement.

"It's Hagrid," Ron said by way of an explanation. Stephen had obviously not met Hagrid before as he didn't really accept that answer.

**The goblin wrinkled his nose. Harry watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals.**

"**Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key.**

**The goblin looked at it closely.**

"**That seems to be in order."**

"**An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. **

A lot of people threw a look at Percy at that last statement. "What?" Percy asked angrily.

"You do that sometimes dear," Audrey said with a rich laugh. Percy's face flushed but he remained fairly composed.

"**It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."**

"I don't like the sound of that," Cordelia said with a shudder. "Reminds me of what they used to call Voldemort. It's unnerving."

**The goblin read the letter carefully.**

"**Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"**

**Griphook was yet another goblin. **

"I would hope so!" Fabian said with mock horror.

"Imagine a human being named something like Griphook!" Gideon replied.

"But then, we aren't ones to talk," Fabian said with a thoughtful look.

"I mean you're Gibian," Gideon replied.

"And you're Fadeon," Fabian said with a grin. Gideon shook his head.

"Strange names. Strange names."

"I can top you!" Tonks said. "How about Nymphadora?" Andromeda frowned.

"What do you think dear brother?" Gideon asked.

"I think she wins," Fabian said.

"I believe she does."

"What about Xenophilius?" Luna suddenly said. Xenophilius looked up at his daughter with a strange smile.

"Damn!" Both Prewett's said together. "Another one!"

**Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he and Harry followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.**

"**What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked.**

"You know, Harry," Albus began. "I think both of your parents would have asked the very same question. Very nosy."

Lily looked indignant but James smiled and nodded. When he saw the way his wife was looking at him he quickly looked indignant as well.

"**Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that."**

"What in God's name would be in a Gringott's Vault that would be 'Hogwarts business'?" Lily asked, mostly to herself. Harry and the others who knew had to keep quiet and not answer her question.

**Griphook held the door open for them. Harry, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in — Hagrid with some difficulty — and were off.**

**At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Harry tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible. **

"Surprised you got that far," Aberforth said, voicing his opinion for the first time. "First time I went down there I tried to remember and I didn't get past turn five."

**The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering.**

**Harry's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late — **

"Probably was," Harry muttered. No one but those very close to him heard him.

**they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.**

"**I never know," Harry called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?"**

"**Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," said Hagrid. **

Everyone in the room started to laugh. "Can't fault him, can you?" Edgar finally said. Hermione looked like she was prepared to say something but Harry silenced her with a look, not really wanting to listen to a speech on the differences between stalagmites and stalactites. Though, he still needed to find out.

"**An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick."**

"I hate those carts too," Neville and Alice said at the same time. Neville smiled at his mother who smiled back. Neville felt proud to be like his mother.

**He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling.**

**Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.**

"**All yours," smiled Hagrid.**

**All Harry's — it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from him faster than blinking. **

All eyes turned to Petunia who was nodding sadly. "We probably would have. Even if it was to do with magic it was still pure gold and silver. How could we pass it up?"

"Maybe because it didn't belong to you?" Ariana said quietly but with quite a bit of conviction. It was obvious that the girl startled Petunia because Petunia looked directly at her. Harry smiled at Ariana who smiled back.

Albus felt immensely proud of his little sister. Less than a day ago she was a complete recluse and would not do anything and now she was defending someone. Albus couldn't have been prouder.

Aberforth was feeling very much the same way except he was also feeling quite annoyed with that horse-faced woman. What kind of person was she? Saying she would take a wizard's money after everything she'd done to the boy! Unacceptable!

**How often had they complained how much Harry cost them to keep? **

People seemed to be too sick and tired of glaring at Petunia so they settled for growling and/or shaking their head

**And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to him, buried deep under London.**

**Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag.**

"**The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?"**

"**One speed only," said Griphook.**

**They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. **

"But he just said one speed only," Victoire said, frowning.

"It's physics," David replied. "It is still the same speed but it's changing because they're going downhill. It's a bit difficult to explain, really."

**The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Harry leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom, but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck.**

"Harry!" Lily chastised. "Don't do that again!" Harry glanced to Ron and Hermione who were stifling laughs.

**Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.**

"**Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.**

"**If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook.**

"**How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Harry asked.**

"**About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin.**

"They really do take security seriously," Cordelia commented grimly.

"At least you can trust them with your money," Amos nodded.

**Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Harry was sure, and he leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least — but at first he thought it was empty. **

The people who had no idea what was in it frowned in confusion. _Why would Albus send Hagrid to a vault with nothing in it?_ Was the prevalent thought in the room.

**Then he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. **

"Well that was anti-climatic," Bill said with a shake of his head.

**Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Harry longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.**

"Yeah. 'Cause you don't ask questions," Ron growled as the room turned to Petunia who kept her head down. She knew it was coming to the point where she wouldn't be mentioned any further, and she _was_ actually looking forward to that. Despite what she might say, she was actually very interested in what Harry actually got into at that school.

"**Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, its best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid.**

**One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Harry didn't know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money. **

"You sound like I felt when I first got to Diagon Alley," Colin said with a grin. There was a chorus of 'me too' from all the Muggle-borns in the room. Harry smiled and motioned James II to keep reading.

**He didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that he was holding more money than he'd had in his whole life — more money than even Dudley had ever had.**

Dudley's eyes widened at that statement as he didn't really believe that Harry was that rich at that point.

"**Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." **

Some of the adults in the room breathed in sharply. "Hagrid!" Molly, Lily and Alice all exclaimed as one. "Not the time for a drink!" Molly said.

Albus was quite taken aback by what Hagrid had just implied. He certainly wouldn't be heading to the Leaky Cauldron for a stomach-soothing potion after all.

**He did still look a bit sick, so Harry entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous.**

**Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.**

"**Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here — another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."**

**In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. **

"Anyone we know?" James asked. His eyes flickered to Draco but didn't stay there long. Harry nodded.

"You'll see who it is in a minute," He replied. "He never mentions his name but you'll be able to guess."

Draco would have, in times past, thought that it was because he was a Malfoy, which it was in a way, but he also knew that it was because he was a massive ponce.

**Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him, slipped a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length.**

"You would think that magic would be able to do that wouldn't you?" Leigh commented. Albus chuckled.

"It can. Madam Malkin prefers the Muggle way because that's how she was brought up to do it," He replied with a smile.

"**Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"**

"**Yes," said Harry.**

"**My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. **

"I _wonder_ who it could be?" Dennis said sarcastically as nearly everyone looked towards Draco who was not showing anything on his face at all.

"**Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."**

"Yep," Dennis said. "Definitely Draco Malfoy."

"How could it not be?" Fred asked.

"No one else really calls their dad 'father' at that age," George agreed.

**Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley.**

"WHAT?" Draco and Narcissa yelled. "I am not like that boy at all!" Draco finished.

"I thought you were at the time. Spoiled you know?" Harry replied. Draco wanted to retort but didn't because he knew that Harry was right.

"I was _not_ spoiled!" Dudley exclaimed. "And I certainly wasn't as bad as him!"

"Nah, Dudley," Harry said sarcastically. "He actually said something about Hagrid when you cowered on the floor and grew a pigs tail," The room laughed with Draco laughing the hardest. Harry shot him a short glare. "That doesn't make you any better than him. Strangely, Dudley was the smart one there. At least he had the brains to be scared of a man that size."

"Are you trying to call me stupid?" Draco asked.

"No. I'm trying _not_ to," Harry replied. Dudley and Draco shot glares at each other but remained silent, each believing that they were not as bad as the other.

"**Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.**

"**No," said Harry.**

"**Play Quidditch at all?"**

"**No," Harry said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.**

"Well do you?" James asked eagerly as Lily shook her head. Harry decided to have a little fun.

"Of course not," Harry said disgustedly as James' face became downcast. Luckily he couldn't see Sirius, Remus, Cedric or any of the Weasleys' faces.

"**I do — Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my House, and I must say, I agree. Know what House you'll be in yet?"**

"**No," said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute.**

"Hope you're a Gryffindor!" James said loudly. Lily frowned

"I dunno. He seems a bit like a Hufflepuff," Lily replied. "Or even a Ravenclaw. He seems to want to learn a lot."

Harry wasn't very surprised that no one mentioned Slytherin as a House for him. It really didn't make all that much sense then and it still didn't make any sense at that point.

"**Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been — imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"**

"Boo!" Tonks, Hannah, Felula, Susan, Edgar, Patricia, Marilyn, Amelia, Susie, Robert, Cedric, Amos and Cordelia exclaimed

"**Mmm," said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting.**

"**I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.**

"**That's Hagrid," said Harry, pleased to know something the boy didn't. **

"Not difficult," Ron mock-yelled to Harry as Draco scowled at him. Despite what he thought about Harry, he couldn't bring himself to like Ron Weasley. There was something about him that just rubbed Draco the wrong way.

"**He works at Hogwarts."**

"**Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"**

"He is no such thing!" Felula exclaimed while everyone else was shouting seemingly incoherently. Felula liked Hagrid when she was at Hogwarts and felt that it was completely unacceptable to even think of him as anything even remotely resembling a servant.

Draco at least had the good grace to look slightly ashamed.

"**He's the gamekeeper," said Harry. He was liking the boy less and less every second.**

A round of 'here, here' greeted that line which didn't make Draco and Narcissa any happier. Astoria took it surprisingly well though.

"**Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage — lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."**

"Actually..." Bill said, stifling the beginnings of a riot. "He has been known to do that."

Molly really didn't notice that her son had even said anything because she was too angry with Draco's comment to really think rationally.

"**I think he's brilliant," said Harry coldly.**

"**Do you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"**

"**They're dead," said Harry shortly. He didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy.**

"**Oh, sorry," said the other, not sounding sorry at all. **

"Of course he wouldn't be," Frank growled. "He has his _wonderful_ parents. They aren't even there with him. At least Hagrid had a reason to not be with Harry at that point, even if we don't all agree on that what he was doing was right."

"We weren't with him because we trusted him to be able to get some clothes fitted," Narcissa said in defence of her and her husband. "If you must know, we do not allow our eleven year old child to roam about the streets on his own constantly. We Malfoys are many things, but neglectful we are not!"

The room had to agree with her. She did coddle her son quite a bit. Though, to some, that was almost the same as being neglectful in some ways.

"**But they were our kind, weren't they?"**

"**They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."**

"**I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? **

"The other sort?" Leigh questioned.

"I believe he's talking about Muggle-borns," Lily replied with a disapproving scowl.

"You know what I don't get?" Fred asked, looking to George.

"Harry obviously doesn't know a damn thing about anything he's saying," George said.

"So why does he continue to open his mouth?" Fred asked.

"I was eleven," Draco shrugged.

**They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"**

**But before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear," and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool.**

"Normally I would say something about your manners, but I think in this case I'll let it slide," Lily said kindly.

"**Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy.**

**Harry was rather quiet as he ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought him (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts).**

"**What's up?" said Hagrid.**

"**Nothing," Harry lied. They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote. When they had left the shop, he said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"**

"**Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know — not knowin' about Quidditch!"**

"Blasphemous!" Fred and George said in tandem.

"Seconded," Fabian and Gideon said.

"Agreed," James and Sirius said.

"Ugh," A lot of people in the room said.

"**Don't make me feel worse," said Harry. He told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin's.**

"— **and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in —"**

"**Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were — he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line o' Muggles — look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!"**

There was laughter around the room. Petunia wasn't sure whether she should be offended or just accept it. She wasn't really even sure if that Hagrid fellow was even insulting her or just pointing out that she was a Muggle.

"**So what is Quidditch?"**

"**It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like — like soccer in the Muggle world **

"I taught him about that," Lily said happily. "I told him that Quidditch was like the wizarding equivalent of soccer."

— **everyone follows Quidditch — played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls — sorta hard ter explain the rules."**

There was a spluttering around the room as some of the most hardcore Quidditch fans were horrified that anyone would even say such a thing. Harry put a hand on Ginny's knee to calm her down. Didn't work much though.

"**And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"**

"**School Houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but —"**

"**I bet I'm in Hufflepuff," said Harry gloomily.**

"Wouldn't matter," Charlus said. "My great-grandmother was a Hufflepuff. Loveliest woman you'd ever meet."

"**Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one."**

"You know, I must say that is a terrible way of looking at it," Albus said with a slight frown. "That view really only stems from the Death Eaters and Voldemort. The Death Eaters weren't completely Slytherin. They did recruit _some _people from other houses. It was only because Slytherin is already so cast out that they formed a group to take over. One could blame Salazar Slytherin for everything that the Death Eaters caused. I hope that one day Slytherins can be treated the same as any other house."

"It's true," Lily said sadly. "Gryffindors generally get on with the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws while Hufflepuff get on with Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Ravenclaw can at least stomach the Slytherins. So I have to agree. But is there really anything we can do?"

"Just look around the room," Harry said suddenly. "It might be a number that isn't exactly favourable, but we have members of every house represented and then some," He said with a nod to Fleur who nodded back. "Sure, we mostly consist of Gryffindors, but the point is that we _can _all get along."

Something was stirring in Harry's mind as he spoke. Nobody spoke any further so James II continued to read.

"**Vol-, sorry — You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"**

"**Years an' years ago," said Hagrid.**

**They bought Harry's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. **

"Diaries?" Tom asked. This caused a slight shiver to go down Ginny's spine. She hadn't quite gotten over the Chamber of Secrets incident and Tom, of all people, talking about diaries was a bit unnerving.

"I don't know, to be honest," Harry said.

"Likely not," Amos said. "I think they fill as you learn or something like that. Terribly expensive."

**Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from Curses and Counter-curses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian.**

"Dudley?" Fred asked with a laugh. Harry laughed in response as he nodded. Dudley was looking decidedly unsettled at the thought of having his hair removed and vividly remembered the Ton-Tongue Toffee.

"**I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."**

"**I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."**

**Hagrid wouldn't let Harry buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list"),**

There was a chuckle at Harry's expense but Harry laughed along with them. Little did they know that he indulged himself in a gold cauldron that he used occasionally for his Auror duties.

**but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry, Harry himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).**

**Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Harry's list again.**

"**Just yer wand left — oh yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present."**

**Harry felt himself go red.**

"**You don't have to —"**

"**I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at **

Neville frowned, remembering Trevor. He had tried to replace the toad but they hadn't really gelled. For one thing, he never lost them. It just wasn't right.

— **an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."**

**Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. **

"Is that the one you brought back with you?" Alice asked.

"Yeah it is," Harry said. "She has a very large place in my heart and I couldn't let the opportunity to get her. I never replaced her at all. It was too painful."

"When did she die?" Alice asked.

"27th July, 1997," Harry said sadly. "In the last book."

**He couldn't stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.**

"**Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. **

"I had a few," Harry said defensively.

"Oh, really?" Lily raised her eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Uh...I don't think you should know," Harry replied and hurried his son to keep reading.

**Just Ollivanders left now — only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand."**

**A magic wand … this was what Harry had been really looking forward to.**

**The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382b.c. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.**

**A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. **

"How did it not break?" Myrtle asked incredulously.

"Likely an unbreakable charm," Eileen answered.

**Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.**

"All of that's due to the Stringent Hoveyflows," Xenophilius said, nodding his head.

"What do they do?" Colin asked.

"They cause magic around people to feel stronger," Luna replied for her father.

"And they cause people's perceptions of certain things to be skewed in strange directions," Francis said. "That doesn't seemed to have happened here, though."

"**Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair.**

"Okay then," Eileen said. "Perhaps not."

**An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.**

"Good to see that Ollivander hasn't changed," Patricia commented. Harry almost flinched at that, knowing what the man had gone through at the hands of Voldemort.

"**Hello," said Harry awkwardly.**

"**Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." **

"How does he do that?" Victoire asked.

"Well for HarryI think it has something to do with the fact that he looks uncannily like James," Remus said. "Although he does it for almost any child who isn't a Muggle-born."

"He has a sort of photographic memory," Albus said. "Although it's the magical version so it can be turned on and off. That's how he remembers wands so well," Albus kind of felt bad for ratting the man's secret out but he figured it wouldn't be too bad.

**It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."**

Lily had her wand out and examined it. "That it is."

**Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.**

"**Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. **

James and Sirius exchanged grins, remembering where that transfiguration power came in handy over the years. James II caught the grins and began to hope that his wand was like his Grandfather's.

**Well, I say your father favored it — it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."**

**Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.**

"**And that's where …"**

**Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger.**

"Now it's completely creepy," Ted said with a shiver. Nearly everyone agreed.

_Any minute now_, Severus thought bitterly.

"**I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands … well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do. …"**

**He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Hagrid.**

"**Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again. … Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"**

"Sixteen inches?" Cho asked incredulously.

"One of the longest Ollivander ever sold, so Hagrid says," Hermione replied.

"**It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.**

"**Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.**

Albus laughed. "He doesn't much like his work to go that way. He even appeals some snappings just because he particularly liked the wand."

"**Er — yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.**

"**But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.**

"**Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.**

"Well there you have it," Percy said sternly. "He really does use his wand pieces."

"So?" Harry replied. He was almost going to tell Percy that Hagrid was innocent and shouldn't have been expelled, but he then realised that it would be in the next book and said nothing more.

"**Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now — Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"**

"**Er — well, I'm right-handed," said Harry.**

"**Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."**

**Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. **

"if the wand chooses the wizard, why does he bother with that?" Ariana asked quietly.

"Gotta have a starting point," Aberforth replied slightly gruffly. "It'd take too long otherwise."

"Oh...that makes sense," Ariana said.

**Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.**

"**That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beech-wood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave."**

**Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.**

"**Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try —"**

**Harry tried — but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.**

"**No, no — here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."**

**Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.**

"I noticed that too," Hermione commented. "Though it seems like yours was taking longer than mine."

"**Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere — I wonder, now — yes, why not — unusual combination — holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."**

**Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. **

"Red and gold sparks?" James asked suddenly, cheering up. "Gryffindor colours? Interesting!"

"Yes. Red and gold is also the colour of my Christmas tree tinsel," Augusta replied with a huff. James sighed and slunk back into his chair, his arm around Lily.

**Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well … how curious … how very curious …"**

The room seemed to actually groan. Severus was sneering, thinking that only something like that could happen to a _Potter_.

**He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious … curious …"**

"**Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?"**

**Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.**

"**I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather — just one other. **

Albus' eyes widened in remembrance. He was there when Fawkes gave two feathers for Ollivander. It was quite a sight to behold.

**It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother — why, its brother gave you that scar."**

"WHAT?" The room cried with the exception of those who had read any of the books. Even Severus had said it. He was not expecting that of all things. It was a very rare thing to have brother wands. He vaguely wondered what could possibly make a phenomenon like that happen.

**Harry swallowed.**

"**Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember. … I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter. … After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great."**

"Yeah. 'Great' in the most negative sense," Mad-Eye growled out.

"Well, 'e really is correct," Fleur said. "'Great' does mean above average. And Voldemort was that."

**Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.**

**The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty Harry didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; he didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry's lap. **

"That would be a sight for the Muggles," Astoria said with a laugh. "They really aren't normally accustomed to even seeing owls, let alone ones in cages."

**Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder.**

"**Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said.**

**He bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.**

"**You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid.**

**Harry wasn't sure he could explain. He'd just had the best birthday of his life — and yet — he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words.**

"Everyone knows who you are and the weird wandmaker creeped you out," Ron suggested.

"That about sums it up," Harry nodded.

"**Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander … but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry — I mean, the night my parents died."**

**Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.**

"**Don' you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. **

"Not that _some_ Purebloods would tell you that," Everyone cast glances at Draco who, to his credit, didn't slink back at all and sat with a strange dignity.

**Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts — I did — still do, 'smatter of fact."**

**Hagrid helped Harry on to the train that would take him back to the Dursleys, then handed him an envelope.**

"**Yer ticket fer Hogwarts," he said. "First o' September — King's Cross — it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me. … See yeh soon, Harry."**

**The train pulled out of the station. Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; he rose in his seat and pressed his nose against the window, but he blinked and Hagrid had gone.**

"But Hagrid didn't tell him how to get on the Platform!" Dorea exclaimed.

"Don't worry. Petunis knows how to get on. She'll tell him," Lily said, not really believing her own words, but hoping she was right.

Regulus Black was astounded by Harry, Lily and Dumbledore's analysis of the Hogwarts House system. When he truly thought about it, they were right. Slytherin was singled out as the 'evil' house for the sins of a few rather than looking at the majority who aren't pure evil. He even had to admit that his own sympathies may actually have been different had he not been surrounded by such negativity towards him and his House. He knew that stopping the bad treatment of Slytherins wouldn't really fix the problem, but it would be a complete starting point. He only wondered how they would go about it or even if it were actually possible given the wizarding world being so stubborn.

Audrey Weasley was the complete outcast in the extended Weasley family. Despite Percy rejoining his family, he was still the outcast and, by way of marriage, she was as well. She was liked well enough, but she had always found comfort in talking to those in the family without red hair like Harry, Hermione or even Angelina and Fleur. That's why she was enjoying this whole reading the books deal. She was able to spend at least a bit more time with the rest of the family to get them to like her a bit more. She wasn't really sure if it was working, but it was definitely worth a shot.

David Evans was listening with a weirdly detached feeling. He was furious at the way in which Petunia had treated her nephew, his grandson but, at the same time, he wanted to hear all about Harry. He was absolutely sure that the story would not be a walk in the park, but he still wanted to hear it. Harry was there in the flesh after all, so he obviously survived it all. It was also good to see that his torture hadn't hindered his family life at all. It was blatantly obvious that Harry loved his kids. But the thing that David admired most was the fact that Harry could love little Tom so much after having him for such a short time. Also, given that the boy could have turned out to be the very Dark Lord that killed his family also gave David a sense of pride towards his grandson.

Alastor Moody was just happy that this chapter didn't have so many damn fools. But the negativity in his mind instantly thought the worst. The worst simply being 'I may not see them but they're there'. He didn't like that thought very much because there was really nothing thta he could do to rectify the statement.

Dennis Creevey was quite happy to hear all about Harry's first year. Colin had told him all about Harry's second year. Well...what he could actually remember being conscious. But Dennis had heard all the strange rumors about the so-called 'Golden Trio's' first year. The most absurd involving a three-headed dog, a giant chess set and a Defence teacher with Voldemort hiding under his turban. He was quite interested to see how the story actually went.

Francis Lovegood was keeping very quiet. As she was at least part Seer, she felt that she had a duty to not say anything that she already knew. For example, she knew the basic plot to all of the books without having actually read them. All of the little details were not present, but the larger ones were. She just didn't want to give anything Seeing was a terrible curse.

Marilyn Bones was more than a little shocked that the wizarding world had changed so little between when she first went to Hogwarts and when Harry did. It seemed to be such a rigid society. Marilyn didn't like that idea at all. She liked change. In fact, she embraced it. And she was shocked that others didn't feel the same way. She really hoped that something would change. Marilyn did get the feeling that things were different in 2011, but she had yet to see any proof other than the fact that there were a large number of people of varying blood types and houses in the one room, not flinging insults at everyone else. She sighed and waited for the next person to read, thinking of a better world to live in.

* * *

**_Author's Note_**

**Sorry for the wait! Exams got in the way as a lot of _Zero Punctuation_. If you haven't seen _Zero Punctuation_ before and you like games, google it. Beware that he is a very negative person. On the plus side, I had my last exam for high school EVER! And it went well! Go me!**

**That leads me on to my next topic fairly well. Over the last month I have totally neglected _Harry Potter and the Unfortunate Son_ (found on the profile 'Beletrium'). As such, I have decided that I will take a week off writing this and _Harry Potter and the Tears of an Angel_ in order to get caught up on my writing for the other story. I will write another chapter for _Tears of an Angel_ hopefully tomorrow, but after that I won't be posting any chapters for this profile for a week. After that I will plan my time better and give equal time to my stories. I hope you all understand. **

**I felt that I needed to include some of those last paragraphs for some of the lesser known characters because I feel that I need to build on some characters. Hope you liked them.**

**Thanks to _monkeymail_, _beverlie4055_, _mwinter1_, _Luna's Deathly Hallows_, _Taeniaea_, _Dragon0328_, _DrinkingAlcoholicRainbows_, _SokkasFirstFangirl_, _Shinigami_, _Juggernautx42_, _wokanshutaiduo_ and _Harry Potter N1_ for reviewing!**

**_Shinigami_ - I agree, Marlene McKinnon is interesting but I have no plans for her in my story, assuming I do the sequel, whereas I have got somewhere to go with everyone else. I felt that my Dudley and Draco reaction was a bit weak, but there really isn't much I can do. Oh, I think we can safely say that we will see Narcissa's reactions very early on.**

******_wokanshutaiduo_** - Thanks for pointing that out. I'll be sure to edit that when I go back over the story soon.

**_Harry Potter N1_ - Believe it or not, I actually had plans for Viktor Krum to be there reading the books. Perhaps I will bring him in one of the interludes. I may or may not include him in the actual reading.**

**Well that's it for this one. If there is anyone that you would like me to do an opening few paragraphs of a chapter about, just let me know and I will endeavor to do so.**

**Thanks for reading and let me know what you think, good or bad.**

**Beletrium/Koldrian  
**


	18. PS 6 Platform Nine and Three Quarters

_**Disclaimer**_** - I do not intend any copyright infringement. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. This story is purely for the enjoyment of fanfiction readers and the author. There is not any money being made from this story, nor will there ever be any made. Any mention of the _Harry Potter_ books is used as a purely entertaining source. All content in this chapter in bold is owned by J.K. Rowling and not me. I use it to further my story.**

* * *

_**PS 6: The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters**_

Narcissa Malfoy was conflicted about what she was doing. On one hand, she felt almost obliged to hear the story about how her husband and son's master was destroyed but on the other hand, she wasn't sure that she would like the portrayals of her family.

Sure, Narcissa knew what her family was in the past, and for Lucius still was to a point, but she felt that the story would be unfairly biased in the direction of Harry Potter and the 'good side'. They had no idea of the kinds of things that the people who were on the 'bad side' had gone through during that time.

Narcissa had always agreed with the Dark Lord's sentiments, but she didn't necessarily agree with the ways in which he went about trying to get his viewpoints across. She thought that there were better ways of doing so than outright murder and full-on takeover.

Luckily for Narcissa, she was never asked to take the Dark Mark, though she never really knew why until the Dark Lord's final downfall. When the Dark Lord had finally been defeated and killed, she asked Lucius why she never got asked to take the Dark Mark. The answer she received was slightly shocking.

Lucius had asked the Dark Lord not to Mark her. He had told the Dark Lord that he would be forever grateful if his wife remain unblemished. It had, of course, been a lie. But Lucius had always been a rather good occlumens and the Dark Lord seemed to accept the reasoning. In reality, Lucius did it because he didn't want Narcissa too involved.

It was rather sweet in a way. Over the years that they had been together, Narcissa had often wondered if Lucius truly loved her or if he married her because she was born into a wealthy, pureblood family. That gesture was something that Narcissa felt showed that he did, indeed, love her.

But the fact that, despite all of that, they were forced to house the Dark Lord, terrified Narcissa to no end. The Dark Lord was not a forgiving man. In fact, he killed at least twenty House Elves due to rage. Narcissa frequently feared for her life, but more importantly the life of her son and husband.

One of the worst days of Narcissa's life was when she heard that Draco had failed to kill Dumbledore. She heard her son's screams throughout the manor for what seemed like hours as the Dark Lord punished him. The mother in her wanted to protect her child with all that she could. But she couldn't. And it killed her.

She knew that she was on the only side that she could be. She did not agree with Dumbledore's views of the world whereas she did believe with the Dark Lord's. The problem was that she didn't like the way he went about things. But if she went to Dumbledore she felt that she would be killed. The only threat to her while she was around the Dark Lord was the Dark Lord himself. Dumbledore and his people were too good natured to kill someone outright. Basically, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. And it wasn't good.

Harry took the book from his eldest son and looked at it for only a second. He was about to ask who wanted to read when Colin stood and took it out of his hand.

"I'll read next," He said excitedly. Harry nodded.

"Fair enough then," He said with a smile. Colin sat back down with Dennis and looked at the page.

**Harry's last month with the Dursleys wasn't fun. **

"Was it ever fun?" Susan asked. Harry shook his head.

"Not really."

**True, Dudley was now so scared of Harry he wouldn't stay in the same room, **

A lot of people in the room snickered and Dudley didn't shy away. He felt that he was well within his rights to be frightened at that stage in his life.

**while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't shut Harry in his cupboard, force him to do anything, or shout at him**

"That's what they should have done from the beginning," Sirius growled, shooting a dirty look at Petunia.

— **in fact, they didn't speak to him at all. Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Harry in it were empty. Although this was an improvement in many ways, it did become a bit depressing after a while.**

"You _wanted_ them to notice you?" Fleur asked with a raised eyebrow. Harry shrugged.

"Better that I feel like I'm actually in the house than not," Harry replied.

"But they treated you 'orribly," Fleur said sadly.

"That didn't mean that I wanted to be forgotten," Harry said sadly.

**Harry kept to his room, with his new owl for company. He had decided to call her Hedwig, a name he had found in A History of Magic.**

As if she heard people talking about her, Hedwig flew over and landed on Harry's shoulder. Harry reached up and scratched the side of her head.

**His school books were very interesting. He lay on his bed reading late into the night, Hedwig swooping in and out of the open window as she pleased. It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come in to vacuum anymore, because Hedwig kept bringing back dead mice.**

Petunia paled at the thought of her wonderfully kept house being absolutely defiled by such things as dead mice. She actually looked at the beautiful snowy owl angrily.

"What's a vacuum?" Arthur asked hopefully.

"An electronic Muggle cleaning device," Hermione answered him. Arthur immediately looked interested.

**Every night before he went to sleep, Harry ticked off another day on the piece of paper he had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first.**

"I actually did the same thing," Remus said suddenly. Everyone looked at him. Those who knew of his condition and how hard it was to even get him in Hogwarts looked at him with either a smile or a look of pity. Those who didn't know just looked confused. Remus thought it best not to tell anyone because they would find out in Harry's third year anyway.

**On the last day of August he thought he'd better speak to his aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day, so he went down to the living room where they were watching a quiz show on television. He cleared his throat to let them know he was there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.**

"The evil dark monster cleared his throat!" Fred screamed and looked to George with a frightened look on his face.

"Whatever shall we do Fred?" George yelled as they grabbed each other in mock-fear. They then immediately let go of each other and shot a grin at Dudley. The majority of the room was laughing, Fabian and Gideon and the Marauders more so than the others.

"**Er — Uncle Vernon?"**

**Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening.**

"Nice," Teddy commented.

"**Er — I need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to — to go to Hogwarts."**

**Uncle Vernon grunted again.**

"**Would it be all right if you gave me a lift?"**

**Grunt. Harry supposed that meant yes.**

"**Thank you."**

**He was about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon actually spoke..**

"It can speak?" Charlie asked.

"Sadly, yes," Harry replied.

"**Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?"**

"He kind of has a point," Colin interjected. "I thought the same thing when I found out we were going on a train," The Muggle-born or Muggle-raised people in the room agreed with Colin, even Harry

**Harry didn't say anything.**

"**Where is this school, anyway?"**

"**I don't know," said Harry, realizing this for the first time. He pulled the ticket Hagrid had given him out of his pocket.**

"**I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," he read.**

**His aunt and uncle stared.**

"You shouldn't have told them," Cedric said with a wry grin.

"**Platform what?"**

"**Nine and three-quarters."**

"**Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."**

"Maybe not to you," Draco suddenly said forcefully. "But it is a huge part of our culture."

"That it is," Albus said. "Ever since the invention of trains we have used it."

"**Its on my ticket."**

"**Barking," said Uncle Vernon, "howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother."**

"Why are they going to London?" Tom asked.

"You'll see," Harry said cryptically. Dudley had grasped his bottom.

"**Why are you going to London?" Harry asked, trying to keep things friendly.**

"**Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."**

Tom laughed at that. "I guess I forgot about that," he said, still laughing.

"I haven't," Dudley murmured.

**Harry woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. He got up and pulled on his jeans because he didn't want to walk into the station in his wizard's robes**

"Good idea," Lily said with a smile. "I figured that it would be best as well. Although I already had someone tell me not to wear my robe," She looked almost imperceptibly at Severus who showed no reaction to her words.

— **he'd change on the train. He checked his Hogwarts list yet again to make sure he had everything he needed, saw that Hedwig was shut safely in her cage, and then paced the room, waiting for the Dursleys to get up. Two hours later, Harry's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the Dursleys' car, Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Harry, and they had set off.**

"What did she promise him?" Edgar asked.

"A few toys," Harry replied. The parents in the room all frowned except for Petunia.

**They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Vernon dumped Harry's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for him.**

"That's strangely nice," Dan said with an intrigued look on his face.

**Harry thought this was strangely kind until Uncle Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face.**

"**Well, there you are, boy. Platform nine — platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?"**

"I see," Dan said coldly.

"Such a terrible man," Emma said with a frown. "It's no wonder non-magical people are disliked so much. It's because of people like him," Everyone couldn't help but agree with that assessment, even Petunia and Dudley.

**He was quite right, of course. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all.**

"**Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile.**

"Has he gotten any better over the years?" Leigh asked.

"A little," Harry said. "De doesn't hate me on sight any more. Still hates magic though."

**He left without another word. Harry turned and saw the Dursleys drive away. All three of them were laughing. Harry's mouth went rather dry. What on earth was he going to do? He was starting to attract a lot of funny looks, because of Hedwig. He'd have to ask someone.**

**He stopped a passing guard, but didn't dare mention platform nine and three-quarters. The guard had never heard of Hogwarts and when Harry couldn't even tell him what part of the country it was in, he started to get annoyed, as though Harry was being stupid on purpose.**

"I don't really blame him," Harry laughed. "It all would be rather ridiculous to Muggles."

**Getting desperate, Harry asked for the train that left at eleven o'clock, but the guard said there wasn't one. In the end the guard strode away, muttering about time wasters. Harry was now trying hard not to panic.**

"Doing a good job of it, in my opinion," Mad-Eye said gruffly. "Especially for an eleven year old."

"Thanks, Mad-Eye," Harry said with a grin. Mad-Eye simply grunted.

**According to the large clock over the arrivals board, he had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts and he had no idea how to do it; he was stranded in the middle of a station with a trunk he could hardly lift, a pocket full of wizard money, and a large owl.**

**Hagrid must have forgotten to tell him something you had to do, like tapping the third brick on the left to get into Diagon Alley. He wondered if he should get out his wand and start tapping the ticket inspector's stand between platforms nine and ten.**

**At that moment a group of people passed just behind him and he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

"— **packed with Muggles, of course —"**

"Thank god," Lily breathed. She was worried about what would happen to her son if left at King's Cross.

**Harry swung round. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair.**

"I wonder who _that_ could be?" Fred II asked with a wry smile towards his grandmother.

**Each of them was pushing a trunk like Harry's in front of him — and they had an owl.**

**Heart hammering, Harry pushed his cart after them. They stopped and so did he, just near enough to hear what they were saying.**

"**Now, what's the platform number?" said the boys' mother.**

"Why did you ask that Grandma?" Victoire asked. She smiled at Ginny.

"It was more for your Aunt Ginny," Molly replied. "It was the first year that we allowed Ginny to come with us. I was just humouring her."

"Oh," Victoire replied. To be honest, she had always wondered why her grandmother would say such a thing after so many years. Actually, her answer was fairly simple and actually made sense.

"**Nine and three-quarters!" piped a small girl, also red-headed, who was holding her hand, "Mom, can't I go …"**

"**You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first."**

**What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten. Harry watched, careful not to blink in case he missed it — but just as the boy reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of him and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.**

"That was bad luck," James commented. "It's always cool to watch someone do that for the first time."

"**Fred, you next," the plump woman said.**

"**I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"**

"**Sorry, George, dear."**

"**Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy, and off he went.**

People in the room laughed. "It's quite amazing isn't it Fabian?" Gideon asked suddenly.

"It is," Fabian replied. "How is it that they are exactly like us?"

"Down to our jokes!" Gideon said.

"If we didn't know that they didn't steal them from us, we'd sue!" Fabian finished, pointing a finger at Fred and George.

**His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he had gone — but how had he done it?**

"Magic," The room said.

**Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier — he was almost there — and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere.**

**There was nothing else for it.**

"**Excuse me," Harry said to the plump woman.**

"**Hello, dear," she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too."**

**She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose.**

"Such a flattering description, isn't it Ron?" Ginny asked with a smile that could rival Fred and George. Ron scowled. He had never liked that description of himself. Denial perhaps?

"**Yes," said Harry. "The thing is — the thing is, I don't know how to —"**

"**How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly, and Harry nodded.**

"**Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."**

"**Er — okay," said Harry.**

**He pushed his trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid.**

"That's kind of the point," Regulus pointed out.

**He started to walk toward it. People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry walked more quickly. He was going to smash right into that barrier and then he'd be in trouble —**

"Bit worried aren't we?" Sirius laughed.

"Would have looked a bit strange running into a wall wouldn't I?" Harry asked.

**leaning forward on his cart, he broke into a heavy run — the barrier was coming nearer and nearer — he wouldn't be able to stop — the cart was out of control — he was a foot away — he closed his eyes ready for the crash —**

"Very panicky," Edgar commented.

"I was too," Hermione said. "I think all Muggle-borns are."

**It didn't come … he kept on running … he opened his eyes.**

**A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it. He had done it.**

"It's a great sight," Lily said with awe present in her voice. "I've always remembered when I first ran through and saw the train."

"So do I," Everyone else said together.

**Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.**

**The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Harry pushed his cart off down the platform in search of an empty seat. He passed a round-faced boy who was saying, "Gran, I've lost my toad again."**

"**Oh, Neville," he heard the old woman sigh.**

"I see you got my terrible forgetfulness," Alice said to Neville who nodded.

"It got better over time," He said.

**A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.**

"**Give us a look, Lee, go on."**

**The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.**

Ron and Colin both shivered slightly at the thought.

**Harry pressed on through the crowd until he found an empty compartment near the end of the train. He put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave his trunk toward the train door. He tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on his foot.**

"If only someone was there to help him," Andromeda said sarcastically, eying Petunia.

"**Want a hand?" It was one of the red-haired twins he'd followed through the barrier.**

"**Yes, please," Harry panted.**

"**Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!"**

**With the twins' help, Harry's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.**

"**Thanks," said Harry, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes.**

"**What's that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry's lightning scar.**

_Here it comes_, Snape thought bitterly.

"Here it comes," Harry groaned.

"**Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you — ?"**

"**He is," said the first twin. "Aren't you?" he added to Harry.**

"**What?" said Harry.**

"**Harry Potter," chorused the twins.**

"**Oh, him," said Harry. "I mean, yes, I am."**

"Good work Harry," Bill said with a laugh. "I guess it shows that you really don't like the fame."

"Damn right I don't," Harry grumbled.

**The two boys gawked at him, and Harry felt himself turning red. Then, to his relief, a voice came floating in through the train's open door.**

"**Fred? George? Are you there?"**

"**Coming, Mom."**

**With a last look at Harry, the twins hopped off the train.**

**Harry sat down next to the window where, half hidden, he could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying. Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief.**

"**Ron, you've got something on your nose."**

The twins and Ginny snickered as Ron turned red. To make things worse, a lot of the kids were laughing as well.

**The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.**

"**Mom — geroff." He wriggled free.**

"**Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins.**

There were a lot of chuckles through the room, none of which came from Ron Weasley.

"**Shut up," said Ron.**

"**Where's Percy?" said their mother.**

"**He's coming now."**

**The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Harry noticed a shiny red and gold badge on his chest with the letter P on it.**

"Oh no!" Fred shouted.

"We have to relive it!" George said.

"The Horror!" They both said, descending into fake tears. Percy looked slightly annoyed but also amused.

"**Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves —"**

"You call yourself a Weasley?" Charlie said with a smirk. "I don't think any Weasley _ever _has talked like that.

"Or a Prewett," Fabian and Gideon threw in. Percy blushed slightly.

"**Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."**

"**Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once —"**

"**Or twice —"**

"**A minute —"**

"**All summer —"**

People in the room laughed at that. Fred and George stood from their seats and bowed while Fabian and Gideon were giving them a standing ovation.

"**Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.**

"**How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins.**

"**Because he's a prefect," said their mother fondly. "All right, dear, well, have a good term — send me an owl when you get there."**

**She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins.**

"**Now, you two — this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've — you've blown up a toilet or —"**

"You blew up a toilet?" Tom asked disbelievingly.

"At that point, no," Fred replied.

"Mum really shouldn't have said that," George said, nodding sagely.

"**Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."**

"**Great idea though, thanks, Mom."**

"**It's not funny. And look after Ron."**

"**Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."**

"He definitely sounds safe with you two," Charlus chuckled. "Chances are they'd send him to the dungeons when he needs to be at the Astronomy Tower or something."

"How did we not think of that?" Fred and George both asked, causing a few laughs.

"**Shut up," said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.**

"**Hey, Mom, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?"**

**Harry leaned back quickly so they couldn't see him looking.**

"Why were you looking anyway?" Victoire asked.

"It was nice to see what an actual family was like," Harry replied.

"**You know that black-haired boy who was near us in the station? Know who he is?"**

"**Who?"**

"**Harry Potter!"**

**Harry heard the little girl's voice.**

"**Oh, Mom, can I go on the train and see him, Mom, oh please. …"**

Ginny turned red and tried to hide her face in her husband's arm, causing more laughs throughout the room given who her husband actually was.

"I forgot about this," Ginny whined and Harry laughed a bit.

"Gin, this is nothing compared to what people'll learn about me," Harry said. Ginny looked at him and nodded.

"**You've already seen him, Ginny, and the poor boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. Is he really, Fred? How do you know?"**

"**Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there — like lightning."**

"**Poor dear — no wonder he was alone, I wondered. He was ever so polite when he asked how to get onto the platform."**

"**Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?"**

The room looked sharply at the twins who had the grace to look embarrassed.

"What?" They both said. "We were curious!"

**Their mother suddenly became very stern.**

"**I forbid you to ask him, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day at school."**

"**All right, keep your hair on."**

**A whistle sounded.**

"**Hurry up!" their mother said, and the three boys clambered onto the train. They leaned out of the window for her to kiss them good-bye, and their younger sister began to cry.**

"**Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."**

"**We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat."**

Any animosity towards the twins seemed to disappear with that last line.

"**George!"**

"**Only joking, Mom."**

**The train began to move. Harry saw the boys' mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, then she fell back and waved.**

**Harry watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner.**

"Awwww," Sirius said. "Isn't that cute?"

"Shut up Sirius," Harry said.

"You have to admit that it is pretty cute that that happened and you ended up together," Lily said. Harry and Ginny both blushed but didn't say anything.

**Houses flashed past the window. Harry felt a great leap of excitement. He didn't know what he was going to — but it had to be better than what he was leaving behind.**

**The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy came in.**

"**Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Harry. "Everywhere else is full."**

**Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Harry and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked. Harry saw he still had a black mark on his nose.**

Ron looked annoyed as people laughed once more. Even Hermione was laughing at him now. He was beginning to regret reading these books.

"**Hey, Ron."**

**The twins were back.**

"**Listen, we're going down the middle of the train — Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."**

Once more, Colin and Ron shivered at the thought of the tarantula.

"**Right," mumbled Ron.**

"**Harry," said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then."**

"**Bye," said Harry and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.**

"**Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out.**

"Tactful," Eileen said sarcastically.

"Tact has never been Ron's strong point," Harry said, grinning at Ron. Ron knew he was right but that didn't mean that he had to like the comment.

**Harry nodded.**

"**Oh — well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron. "And have you really got — you know …"**

**He pointed at Harry's forehead.**

**Harry pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar. Ron stared.**

"**So that's where You-Know-Who — ?"**

"Told you," Harry said to Eileen. "Completely tactless."

"**Yes," said Harry, "but I can't remember it."**

"**Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.**

"Well, look at that," Cedric said with a laugh. "Three times in one chapter. Care for one more Ron?"

"**Well — I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."**

"**Wow," said Ron. He sat and stared at Harry for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again.**

"**Are all your family wizards?" asked Harry, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found him.**

"**Er — yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mom's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."**

"That's terrible," Lily said angrily.

"Oh no," Molly said quickly. "Not because he's a squib. He turned on us. Hates magic in all forms."

Lily's eyes flickered to Petunia.

"**So you must know loads of magic already."**

**The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about.**

"**I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"**

"**Horrible — well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers."**

"**Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to.**

"Understatement of the century," Bill said jokingly.

**Bill and Charlie have already left — Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first.**

Hermione looked at her husband. He had long since gotten over the problem with his brothers. That happened around the time he became a Quidditch star.

**You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat."**

**Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep.**

Harry along with everyone who had read the books up to the third one, James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, Tonks and Moody growled slightly. No one else really understood what they were growling at, and dismissed it.

"**His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff— I mean, I got Scabbers instead."**

"No problem with being poor," Andromeda said. "Money really means nothing in the big scheme of things."

"I knew that," Ron said defensively. "But it is still embarrassing."

**Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window.**

**Harry didn't think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. After all, he'd never had any money in his life until a month ago, and he told Ron so, all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This seemed to cheer Ron up.**

"Ronald!" Molly scolded. "That's a terrible thing to do!"

"No, Molly," Harry intervened. "I think it was more that he was connecting to me rather than happy that I had a terrible life."

"I guess that's alright then," Molly said, calming down.

"… **and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort —"**

**Ron gasped.**

"Shouldn't have said that," Cho said with a shake of her head.

"**What?" said Harry.**

"**You said You-Know-Who's name!" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. "I'd have thought you, of all people —"**

"**I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name," said Harry, "I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn. … I bet," he added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying him a lot lately, "I bet I'm the worst in the class."**

"Ha!" Harry said causing a few people to jump. "I can't believe I ever thought that. Hermione's a Muggle-born and she was best in the year."

"**You won't be. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough."**

**While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.**

**Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"**

**Harry, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to his feet, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Harry went out into the corridor.**

**He had never had any money for candy with the Dursleys,**

A mixture of glares and boos came from around the room. Petunia shrunk back into her chair.

**and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry —**

"Mars Bars?" Arthur asked.

"Muggle sweet," Hermione replied and her parents both frowned at the thought.

**but the woman didn't have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life. Not wanting to miss anything, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts.**

"You're going to ruin your appetite that way," Dorea said and Charlus laughed out loud.

"He was eleven. Leave him alone," He said chuckling. Dorea looked prepared to say something more but didn't.

**Ron stared as Harry brought it all back in to the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat.**

"**Hungry, are you?"**

"**Starving," said Harry, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.**

**Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef."**

"With seven kids it's bound to happen," Albus said, smiling. Molly smiled at him.

"It really does. Now I've got heaps of grandkids and it only makes things harder to remember," Molly replied.

"**Swap you for one of these," said Harry, holding up a pasty. "Go on —"**

"**You don't want this, its all dry," said Ron. "She hasn't got much time," he added quickly, "you know, with five of us."**

"I'm glad you understood," Molly replied, looking relieved. "I often wondered if you all would understand."

"We did, Mum," Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny all replied, making Molly tear up.

"**Go on, have a pasty," said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry's pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten).**

"So Ron was your first friend?" Lily asked sadly. Harry nodded.

"I think there was this one boy when I was five called Chris Ludlum, but I don't really count him because his family moved away not long after I met him," Harry said. "But, yeah, Ron was the first."

"**What are these?" Harry asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. "They're not really frogs, are they?" He was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him.**

"**No," said Ron. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa."**

"That's a funny name," James II said with a smile. A few of the younger kids laughed.

"You know, I have never once gotten Agrippa," Ron said sadly. "And no one I know has him!"

"**What?"**

"**Oh, of course, you wouldn't know — Chocolate Frogs have cards inside them, you know, to collect — famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."**

**Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half-moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.**

"What a card to get on your first time!" Dennis said. Harry nodded while Albus smiled.

"I didn't know anything about him before then," Harry said. "I know quite a bit about him now."

"I remember the day they asked me to be on a Chocolate Frog Card," Albus said fondly. "I was quite excited. At the time, I was the only living person to be on one."

"Not anymore," George said, smirking.

"Who took that place?" Dumbledore asked.

"Harry, Ron and Hermione all have one each," George said. Harry shook his head. He had never even wanted it, but he found it hard to say no given what he had actually done.

Ron had been extremely proud to be asked to be on a Chocolate Frog Card. Harry had been asked a few months after he defeated Voldemort, but he got asked after becoming an International Quidditch Star. He was very proud of the achievement.

Hermione was the most accomplished of the three. She had gotten many accolades for her work with Goblins, House Elves and Centaurs and had actually been able to convince the goblins to form a tentative alliance, something that had been nearly impossible in the past.

"**So this is Dumbledore!" said Harry.**

"**Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa — thanks —"**

**Harry turned over his card and read:**

_**ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**_

_**CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS**_

_**Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.**_

"Tenpin bowling?" Dan asked incredulously. Albus smiled broadly.

"It is an amazing Muggle invention," He said happily. "I play to just pass the time. I even tried to get a bowling alley in Hogwarts, but the Board of Governors always declined it."

**Harry turned the card back over and saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared.**

"**He's gone!"**

"That got me too," Colin said. "It was actually the cards that got me interested in photography."

"I never knew that," Harry replied calmly. "I always thought it was me," Colin snorted but looked embarrassed.

"**Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron. "He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her … do you want it? You can start collecting."**

"Wait," Emma said. "Morgana? As in Morgan le Fey? From Arthurian Legend?"

"Yeas Mum," Hermione replied. "Most of that legend is true. In fact, Merlin went to Hogwarts."

"Wow," Emma said. She had never known any of this.

**Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped.**

"**Help yourself," said Harry. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos."**

"**Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed. "Weird!"**

"I can't believe the wizarding world is so oblivious to the Muggle world," Leigh said sadly.

"We're not anymore," Ron replied. "Since the fall of Voldemort, we've accepted Muggles a lot more."

**Harry stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on his card and gave him a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but Harry couldn't keep his eyes off them. Soon he had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcraft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin. He finally tore his eyes away from the druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.**

"They don't actually mean every flavour do they?" Tom asked.

"**You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Harry. "When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor —**

"Maybe they do then," Tom said to a laugh from the room.

**you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger-flavored one once."**

"I did!" George said. "I've searched and searched for another but it isn't to be," He sighed dramatically before Colin began to read again.

**Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.**

"**Bleaaargh — see? Sprouts."**

**They had a good time eating the Every Flavor Beans. Harry got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end off a funny gray one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper.**

"I want to try some," Tom said eagerly. Harry smiled.

"I'll get you some tomorrow morning," Harry promised.

**The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.**

**There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Harry had passed on platform nine and three-quarters came in. He looked tearful.**

"**Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"**

"Still couldn't find it?" Frank asked. Neville shook his head.

**When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"**

"**He'll turn up," said Harry.**

"**Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him …"**

**He left.**

"**Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk."**

"I didn't much want a toad, but Uncle Algie gave him to me so I took him," Neville said. "I actually wanted an owl."

"Why didn't you ask for one?" Alice asked.

"I did, but Gran said that I would just take Trevor because he was mine already," Neville explained. Alice looked at Augusta but said nothing.

**The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap.**

"**He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look …"**

**He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.**

"Your brother's wand, right?" Regulus asked. Ron nodded. "It probably won't work as well for you."

"It didn't much," Ron replied.

"**Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway —"**

**He had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.**

"**Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.**

"Great description!" Fred said with a laugh.

"Well I did look just like that," Hermione replied. "And I was rather bossy," Both Dan and Emma snorted.

"**We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.**

"**Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."**

**She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.**

"**Er — all right."**

**He cleared his throat.**

"**Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,**

**Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."**

"You were brought up with magic and you thought _that_ was a spell?" Cedric asked in amongst the laughter. Ron turned red.

"Mum's pretty good at wordless magic and Dad only used his wand occasionally," Ron explained. Everyone pretty much understood.

**He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.**

"**Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard — I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough — I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?"**

"Did she really say all of that at once?" Ariana asked. Harry, Ron and Neville laughed.

"She did indeed," Neville replied with a laugh. Hermione blushed and looked away. "I thought she would pass out by not breathing."

**She said all this very fast.**

**Harry looked at Ron, and was relieved to see by his stunned face that he hadn't learned all the course books by heart either.**

"**I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.**

"**Harry Potter," said Harry.**

"**Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course — I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."**

"Even when you met a Muggle-born they knew about you?" Draco asked incredulously.

"Yep. Happened with Hermione _and_ Colin," Harry replied. "It really was too much to ask that someone wouldn't know me."

"**Am I?" said Harry, feeling dazed.**

"**Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do either of you know what House you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad. … Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."**

"I wouldn't say Gryffindor is the best," Albus said. "They are all fairly equal in my eyes. The problem is that people pride courage over most other things," Everyone couldn't help but agree.

**And she left, taking the toadless boy with her.**

"**Whatever House I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron.**

The room laughed at him as he sat next to that very girl and was married to her.

"What? I was eleven," Ron said defensively. "I didn't even really like girls then. They were icky," Ron said the last word humorously, gaining a few laughs.

"But girls _are_ icky," James said, sounding confused. "Except Mummy and Lily of course," he said quickly. Harry couldn't help but laugh at his son.

**He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell — George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."**

"Of course I did!" George said cheerfully. "Wouldn't have given it to you if I didn't."

"**What House are your brothers in?" asked Harry.**

"**Gryffindor," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mum and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."**

Andromeda, Severus, Regulus, Draco, Narcissa, Astoria and Eileen all cleared their throats.

"I know! I know!" Ron said loudly. "Not all Slytherins are _terrible_."

"**That's the House Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?"**

"**Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.**

"**You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter," said Harry, trying to take Ron's mind off Houses. "So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?"**

**Harry was wondering what a wizard did once he'd finished school.**

"**Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles — someone tried to rob a high security vault."**

Those who hadn't been alive at that time or were in Azkaban, in the case of Sirius, all shouted, "WHAT?"

"How could someone break into Gringott's?" Regulus asked.

"Very carefully," Harry commented, glancing to Ron and Hermione.

**Harry stared.**

"**Really? What happened to them?"**

"**Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."**

**Harry turned this news over in his mind. He was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You-Know-Who was mentioned. He supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort" without worrying.**

"**What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.**

"**Er — I don't know any," Harry confessed.**

"**What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world —" And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. He was just taking Harry through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.**

**Three boys entered, and Harry recognized the middle one at once: It was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.**

"Oh fun!" Augusta said sarcastically. "Return of the ponce!"

Draco felt that he deserved that, though he didn't know how much he would be able to take of it.

"**Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"**

"**Yes," said Harry. He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean.**

"And stupid," Dennis put in. He had always been frightened of Crabbe and Goyle because they were huge and he was tiny.

**Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.**

"**Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."**

**Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.**

"**Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."**

"Okay, that was uncalled for," Amos said. Draco looked embarrassed but said nothing.

**He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."**

"What did he do?" Fabian asked.

"Leave the compartment?" Gideon asked.

**He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.**

"Good," Lily said happily.

"**I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly.**

**Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.**

"**I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either.**

"He seems to not know much," James said. "Like how we went into hiding. That seems to be 'knowing what's good for you'. Or maybe I'm wrong?"

"No, James, you aren't wrong," Remus said. "Little Draco was just ignorant."

**You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."**

"Ah, riffraff," George said.

"What a word!" Fred finished.

**Both Harry and Ron stood up.**

"**Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.**

"That really is a feat mate," Harry laughed.

"**Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.**

"**Unless you get out now," said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron.**

"**But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."**

**Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron — Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.**

**Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle —**

"Maybe he _did _do something right," Sirius mused quietly.

**Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in.**

"**What has been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.**

"**I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry. He looked closer at Scabbers. "No — I don't believe it — he's gone back to sleep."**

**And so he had.**

"**You've met Malfoy before?"**

**Harry explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley.**

"**I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched.**

"So that's how Lucy got off?" James asked. "I was wondering."

"My husband –" Narcissa began.

"Was a Death Eater," Harry finished. Narcissa paled. "Don't deny it. He even admitted to it during his trial in 1998. He only got off because he named heaps of others."

"Alright. Fine," Narcissa said haughtily.

**My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." He turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"**

"**You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"**

"**Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron, scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"**

"**All right — I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors," said Hermione in a sniffy voice. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"**

Once again, the room laughed at Ron being told off by his future wife.

**Ron glared at her as she left. Harry peered out of the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down.**

**He and Ron took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes. Ron's were a bit short for him, you could see his sneakers underneath them.**

To Ron's surprise, when he looked over at Malfoy after that was said, he wasn't even sneering. It actually looked like he was interested. It was very unlike the man, Ron thought. He knew that Harry had at least made peace with Malfoy, but he couldn't. His pride wouldn't let him.

**A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."**

**Harry's stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, he saw, looked pale under his freckles. They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.**

**The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?"**

**Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.**

"That made me feel much better," Harry said.

"He scared _me_," Colin said. "But then again, I hadn't met him before."

"And you were tiny," Harry put in. Colin nodded.

"**C'mon, follow me — any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"**

**Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice.**

"**Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."**

**There was a loud "Oooooh!"**

**The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.**

"It really is wondrous to behold," Albus said quietly. "Even after so many years, I find my breath taken away by its beauty."

Everyone felt very much the same about the castle and thoroughly agreed with Albus, all remembering the first time they ever saw it properly. At least those who had seen it.

"**No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione.**

"**Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then — FORWARD!"**

**And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.**

"**Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.**

"**Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.**

"**Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands.**

"Good. You found him," Alice said brightly.

**Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.**

**They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.**

"**Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"**

**Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.**

"That's it," Colin said.

"So the Sorting's next?" James asked.

"It is indeed," Harry replied.

"Should be interesting," Patricia commented.

Ted Tonks had been listening fairly intently, barely speaking through the story. He had always been a quiet man. That's probably why he ended up in Hufflepuff. But the thing he found was that he was genuinely interested in why the book series would have started at Harry's first year. Ted knew all about Sirius Black's escape in 1993, so Harry's third year could have been the starting point. The Triwizard Tournament could easily be as well. Ted was more than a little intrigued to find out what happened behind closed doors in those first few years for Harry Potter.

Even though she had already lived through that time and read the books, Hermione Granger was finding it intriguing remembering her first year. Especially the last chapter. That day, she had not really liked Ron all that much. Harry she felt connected to in some way, but that friendship didn't develop for ages. Hermione could tell it was going to be an emotional roller coaster.

Alice Longbottom was slightly concerned about haw Neville was brought up. The comment he made about not wanting a toad and actually wanting an owl made Alice wonder how exactly Augusta had brought her son up. Alice had planned the way Neville was to grow up, as she was that type of person. She had decided that James and Lily would be like his aunt and uncle and Harry would be more like a brother. But that obviously didn't happen. Alice felt, and this could have been because she was Neville's mother, that Nevill had it just as bad as Harry. She knew how Augusta could be.

Myrtle Tomlins couldn't believe her luck. Just under a day ago she had been at Hogwarts and having an absolutely terrible time. The worst part was that she didn't think that being at home would be any better for her. But here she was, listening to the story of Harry Potter, who seemed to be famous. But to Myrtle, she would only know him as the man who changed her life. She wasn't really sure what part she could possibly play in Harry's life, but she must have done something because Harry _had _retrieved her.

For Dan Granger, it was very interesting hearing about his daughter's first train ride to Hogwarts. It was certainly a learning experience. He knew that Hermione had a pretty terrible first few months at Hogwarts, and it seemed that she actually brought it on herself. But the problem Dan saw was that it was pretty much his and Emma's fault that Hermione had turned out like that. They had been the ones who brought her up and made her that way. All Dan could do was focus on the fact that Hermione does make friends.

Stephen Bones was quite enjoying the story. Yes, he knew it was a factual account of what actually happened, but it was still very much a story. He felt bad for Harry and wondered how he got through it all to become the man who organised to save so many people. He felt that he owed Harry so much. Harry had saved the life of him and his family. It was something he didn't think he could ever truly repay.

Hannah Longbottom had been there for all of Harry's adventures over the years. She was always there in Harry's year and had heard all of the crazy rumours. Since she got together with Neville, she soon learnt the full truth of a lot of things. As a result of all of that, she read the books. She was fully enthralled with the books and found herself getting emotional at quite a lot of parts even though she hadn't known the people or wasn't there in the first place. She often wondered how she would have dealt with even half of what Harry dealt with in his life. Hannah came to the only conclusion that she could. She wouldn't have dealt very well at all.

* * *

_**Author's Note**_

**I know I said I would only take a weeks break from this, but things happened. Blame Battlefield and Batman for a lot of that and my other stories for the rest. Actually, now would be a good time to mention that I have completed _Harry Potter and the Unfortunate Son_ on my other profile, Beletrium. On that same profile I have started the sequel to that story, _Harry Potter and the Heirs of Slytherin_. Check them out.**

**I have decided to refocus my writing. I will be focusing more on completing my series on Beletrium from now on. That being said, I will try to update _Universal Shift: Reading Harry Potter_ and _Harry Potter and the Tears of an Angel_ at the very least, once a week. Hopefully twice, depending on how much I can write during the day. If you read the stories on Beletrium you probably will have noticed that I have been updating those once a day, with the exception of today which has been fairly busy. So, I won't be giving up on any of my stories, but I feel that my big seven story series should come first. I hope you all don't mind.**

**Now, I would like to thank _Taeniaea_, _JaredLetoObsessed_, _mwinter1_, _SokkasFirstFangirl_, _Luna's Deathly Hallows_, _beverlie4055_, _Drinking__AlcoholicRainbows_, _Shinigami_, _Katriina_, _dennisud_, _bookwormqueen7_, _Dimicairi__en_, _AimeRedWolfWeasleyTwinsGemini_and _The_ _Reviewer_ for reviewing since my last update. You're all fantastic!**

**_JaredLetoObsessed_ - I'm not really sure about _this_ story. Perhaps the sequel should I choose to do it.**

**_SokkasFirstFangirl_ - I agree! Augusta is really fun to write. I don't think there's much of her here though. I like writing her and the two sets of twins. Oh, and Mad-Eye.**

**_Luna's Deathly Hallows_ - I agree. There are far too many 'Reading The Books' fics out there that are similar. That's why I chose to have mine very different. I did what I haven't seen many do. I included a plot that I could expand on with a sequel. I remember reading one where they did that but I am failing to recall the name of it.**

**_Dimicairien_ - Letme first start by saying that it was your Books From The Future series that first got me interested in this type of fic. So thank you for that. I'm glad you find it interesting.**

**_The Reviewer_ - Bellatrix is one of my favourite characters in the series, but she wouldn't work very well here sadly.**

**Anyway, thanks so much for reading and I should have another chapter up in the next few days.**

**Beletrium/Koldrian  
**


	19. PS 7 The Sorting Hat

_**Disclaimer**_** - I do not intend any copyright infringement. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. This story is purely for the enjoyment of fanfiction readers and the author. There is not any money being made from this story, nor will there ever be any made. Any mention of the _Harry Potter_ books is used as a purely entertaining source. All content in this chapter in bold is owned by J.K. Rowling and not me. I use it to further my story.**

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_**Chapter 7: The Sorting Hat**_

Amos Diggory was feeling quite angry with himself for acting the way he had towards Harry for so many years. The first time he even met the boy he was terrible to him. And now Amos knew how Harry had grown up and what he had to endure for nearly ten years. He felt terrible not only for Harry but because he had been such a terrible person to him.

Amos had been a Hufflepuff when in Hogwarts and that meant that he should be loyal. When Amos thought about it, he did think he was loyal, but he also knew that he was only loyal to the people close to him. He was selfish and really only thought about himself or his family. Some may say that's enough but Amos knew that it just wasn't true.

Amos hadn't even fought in the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998. Sure, he probably would have had a hard time actually getting to the castle but he could have. Even Augusta Longbottom got there and she was on the run. He had heard of the battle and didn't go. The only thought that had gone through his head was that moment that Harry Potter landed on the grass with his son's body. And every time he saw that image in his mind, it broke his heart and his spirit.

And then, over the years, he had come to almost despise Harry because of what had happened to Cedric all those years before. He had wondered how such a pampered fourteen year old could have survived when his seventeen year old son didn't. But now he regretted those thoughts. In absolutely no way was Harry Potter pampered.

He was tortured by his 'family'. His godfather was in prison for a crime that he apparently didn't commit. He had no friends. He had no hope. How in the hell did this poor child grow to be the man that saved the world from Voldemort?

As he was thinking, Amos looked over to Cedric, who was between him and Cho Chang. Cedric was there. In the flesh. Smiling. Amos' heart leapt at the sight of his son. And in that exact moment, his hatred towards Harry Potter floated away. Amos looked over to Harry who sat next to Ginny and Tom, his new son. Lily II was on his lap, asleep, while Albus and James sat at his feet. As Amos watched, Harry looked at Tom. And in Harry's eyes was love.

Love for a child that he had only had for a little over a day. Amos couldn't actually believe his eyes. Harry was looking at the child who would have grown to be the most evil Dark Lord in history and there was love in his eyes. Amos couldn't help but wonder how someone could go from such a loveless life to one where they can love someone so quickly. It was rather astonishing.

"Can I read next?" Dennis asked, looking to Harry who smiled and nodded. Colin gave the book to his little brother, open to the correct page and Dennis began to read.

**The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.**

"Good thinking," Sirius said with a laugh.

"Rich coming from you Padfoot," James and Remus said together. "Didn't you ross McGonagall once or twice a day?" James finished and Sirius nodded.

"Of course," He said jovially. "Doesn't mean that Harry wasn't right."

"**The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.**

"**Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."**

**She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.**

"It sounds like a magnificent place," Petunia commented before realising that she probably shouldn't have said anything.

"It really is," Harry commented, making Petunia feel a little better.

**They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right — the rest of the school must already be here — but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.**

"**Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts.**

"Or better than your family," Sirius muttered. Harry heard him and couldn't help but agree.

**You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room.**

"**The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.**

"I can understand Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin, but why is it Hufflepuff?" Victoire asked no one in particular. Tonks, Ted, Susan, Amelia, Edgar, Patricia, Marilyn, Susie, Robert, Hannah, Cedric, Cordelia and Amos all laughed.

"No one really knows," Tonks said. "I once heard a rumour that Helga lost a bet to Godric, Rowena and Salazar and they named her House."

"So that's still going around?" Susie asked with a laugh. "That was around when I was at school."

**Each House has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule-breaking will lose House points.**

Fabian, Gideon, Fred, George, James, Sirius and Remus all snickered while a few people looked at Harry, Ron and Hermione who all had innocent looks on their faces. A few people around the room sighed.

**At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours.**

"**The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."**

**Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.**

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh. "Not gonna work!" He said loudly and the room laughed, Harry perhaps the hardest.

"I worked that out funnily enough," Harry said.

"You had to get _his_ hair didn't you?" Lily said pointing a thumb at her husband who mock scowled.

"**I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."**

"Does she honestly think a large group of eleven year olds will wait quietly?" Charlie asked, sounding amused.

"She does not," Albus said with a smile. "She always likes to try in the hopes that, one year, it will actually happen. Alas, it does not. It never did for myself either."

**She left the chamber. Harry swallowed.**

"**How exactly do they sort us into Houses?" he asked Ron.**

"Uh, should we let the kids hear? Isn't it tradition to not tell them how they get sorted?" Neville asked. Dumbledore shook his head.

"It's up to the family," He explained. "I do not think it changes things to be absolutely honest."

"**Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."**

"Frederick Weasley!" Molly shouted and made her son jump. She couldn't bring herself to be angry with him, though, because she had just got him back. She watched as Fred tried not to smile.

"Sorry, mum," Fred said, trying to hide his smile.

**Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But he didn't know any magic yet — what on earth would he have to do? He hadn't expected something like this the moment they arrived.**

"You really do panic with the best of them, don't you?" Charlus asked. Harry just nodded.

"He didn't get _that_ from me!" James announced while Lily nodded her head, agreeing with him.

"I reckon it's partly what he got from me and partly the way he grew up," Lily said, looking at Petunia.

**He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need.**

The room snickered as Hermione blushed slightly. "DIdn't know it was a Hat," Hermione muttered to herself.

**Harry tried hard not to listen to her. He'd never been more nervous, never, not even when he'd had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that he'd somehow turned his teachers wig blue.**

"That shouldn't have made him nervous," Sirius growled, glaring at Petunia. "It was accidental."

"You turned your teachers wig blue?" Cho asked with a laugh.

"I hope it was a man with a wig and not a woman," Bill said with a fake shudder.

**He kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom.**

The room laughed at that line.

"Did you really think that?" Ron asked. Harry shrugged.

"I might have," Harry replied evasively, though he had trouble concealing a smile much to everyone else's amusement. "This was written by someone who isn't me."

**Then something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air — several people behind him screamed.**

"What happened?" Lily asked hurriedly and Dennis laughed.

"Getting there," Dennis said, sounding amused.

"**What the — ?"**

**He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall.**

Lily let out a breath. "It was just the ghosts. Thank God."

"Hey! The ghosts are pretty frightening when you first see them," Colin said. Lily nodded.

"I agree with you," Lily replied. "I remember when I met Sir Nicholas and he showed me his...uh...neck."

**Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance —"**

"Who is he talking about?" Tom asked. Harry smiled.

"**My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost**

"He's right," Regulus said as he thought about the poltergeist.

"Sir," Victoire said, addressing Albus. "Why did you never get rid of Peeves?" Albus smiled, his eyes twinkling.

"I have never gotten rid of him because he makes Hogwarts interesting," He replied. "What would Hogwarts be without Peeves?"

— **I say, what are you all doing here?"**

**A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.**

"Nick," All of the Gryffindors said together with find smiles.

**Nobody answered.**

"**New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"**

"Ghosts aren't good with dates are they?" Susan asked with a chuckle.

"I guess not," Amelia replied. "They have been dead for many years so it would be hard to track."

**A few people nodded mutely.**

"**Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old House, you know."**

"You know, I don't know much about the Fat Friar," Harry said aloud.

"Does that mean you know something about the other ghosts?" Frank asked. Harry grinned.

"Quite a bit," Harry answered cryptically as the Slytherins and Ravenclaws narrowed their eyes slightly, knowing that their House ghosts were notoriously tight-lipped.

"**Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."**

**Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.**

"That's creepy the first time you see ghosts do that," Astoria said with a shudder. "Even Purebloods don't see ghosts very often."

"**Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."**

**Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair,**

"Seamus," Harry said fondly, wondering if he should have invited him along.

**with Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.**

**Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting.**

"It really is a beautiful place," Andromeda said and the rest of the people in the room who had been there couldn't help but nod.

"I felt nearly overwhelmed when I saw eet ze first time," Fleur said with a happy look on her face.

**Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."**

Harry and Ron burst out laughing at that.

"Are we missing something?" Audrey asked. Harry and Ron stopped laughing, Harry to answer Audrey and Ron because Hermione had hit him on the arm.

"The amount of times she's quoted that book," Harry said with a chuckle. "Let's just say that Ron and I have never had to read it."

**It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.**

"I wonder whether that could be done to any ceiling," Patricia suddenly said.

"I don't think so," Hermione replied. "It was done using the four founders' combined efforts and they never told anyone else how to do it."

**Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house.**

There was laughter in the room again as Petunia turned red.

"Most certainly _not_!" Fred said in a strange imitation of Petunia that sounded nothing like her.

"Disgusting! Dirty! Never!" George said in the same tone.

"I don't sound like that," Petunia muttered.

**Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it, Harry thought wildly, that seemed the sort of thing —**

Everyone in the room that knew what the Hat was really for, snickered.

"Really?" Draco asked incredulously. "Why would you have to pull a rabbit out of it?"

"It's a Muggle magic trick," Harry explained.

"Muggles don't have magic," Draco said quickly.

"No they don't," Hermione said. "They use sleight of hand and illusions to pretend that they do. Pulling a rabbit out of a hat is one such truck."

"Oh," Draco said sheepishly.

**noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth — and the hat began to sing:**

"Wait," Tom said, looking to Harry. "Sing?"

"I know Tommy," Harry said. "I felt the same way, but it does."

"**Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me.  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can cap them all.  
There's nothing hidden in your head  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be.  
You might belong in Gryffindor,  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
Set Gryffindors apart;  
You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
And unafraid of toil;  
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
If you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;  
Or perhaps in Slytherin  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folk use any means  
To achieve their ends.  
So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"**

"I like that song better than any we got while we were at school," Remus said with a frown.

"What sort of song did you get?" Teddy asked. Remus frowned along with James, Lily, Sirius, Frank, Alice, Edgar, Patricia, Regulus, Severus and Albus.

"We were in the middle of a war, so they weren't exactly happy like this one," Remus replied. "A lot about sticking together and such."

James II turned to his parents. "We really only have to try on a hat?" He asked incredulously. All of the other children in the room who did not know this were just as intrigued.

"That's right," Harry replied and James actually looked relieved as he looked to Teddy.

"I didn't believe you when you said it was easy," James told Teddy who smiled.

"Sometimes you have to listen to me, Jamesy," Teddy said as James wrinkled his nose at the babyish nickname.

**The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.**

"**So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."**

"Frederick Weasley!" Molly yelled again as the room snickered and Fred bowed to his crowd.

**Harry smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but he did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching. The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Harry didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a House for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him.**

"I don't think anyone really felt much different when they went to get sorted," Lily assured him and Harry smiled.

"I know Mum," Harry said happily.

**Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.**

"**When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"**

Hannah turned pink as she had forgotten that she was first up to be sorted. Felula turned to her daughter.

"Don't you just hate your father for having a name that starts with 'ab' of all things," She said jokingly and Hannah laughed.

**A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moment's pause —**

"**HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.**

Tonks, Ted, Felula, Edgar, Patricia, Marilyn, Susie, Robert, Amelia, Alice and Teddy clapped when that was said. Susan decided not to respond in order to keep people from knowing her true house.

Tonks and Remus looked at their son who they just worked out was a Hufflepuff. Neither were disappointed. In fact, they were rather happy about that fact. Remus reached over and pulled Teddy into a hug and soon Tonks joined in.

**The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.**

"**Bones, Susan!"**

The whole Bones clan turned to look at Susan who was going slightly red.

"**HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.**

"Knew you'd be a Hufflepuff," Edgar said. "Hasn't been a Bones yet who hasn't been."

"**Boot, Terry!"**

"**RAVENCLAW!"**

Luna, Xenophilius, Francis, Cho, Audrey and Myrtle all clapped at that.

**The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.**

"**Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor,**

James, Lily, Harry, Neville, Frank, Augusta, Sirius, Remus, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny Fabian and Gideon applauded loudly for Gryffindor.

**and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.**

"**Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin.**

Unsurprisingly there was no reaction from Andromeda, Eileen, Severus, Regulus, Astoria, Narcissa or Draco from that.

**Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, after all he'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked like an unpleasant lot.**

Harry looked apologetically at the Slytherins in the room who looked slightly affronted.

"Were you just thinking about Millicent?" Draco asked curiously and Harry nodded. "That explains it. I understand where you were coming from."

"Draco!" Narcissa and Astoria said, appalled.

"What?" Draco asked defensively. "She's not at all good looking."

"That's not very nice," Astoria said with a huff.

**He was starting to feel definitely sick now. He remembered being picked for teams during gym at his old school. He had always been last to be chosen, not because he was no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked him.**

Just then something strange happened. A strange wind whipped up around the room. Harry looked around the room and finally dropped his eyes to Ariana. Her face was contorted with anger and she no longer looked like the frightened child she had in the past. Her hair was whipping with the wind and her eyes seemed locked onto Dudley and Petunia. Albus and Aberforth were immediately on their feet but soon were down to their knees in front of Ariana. Harry turned to Ginny.

"Go and protect Aunt Petunia and Dudley," He said fiercely and Ginny nodded. Ron and Hermione had apparently heard as they were on their feet and off to where Petunia and Dudley sat. Lily who was stirring, woke and Harry sat her where Ginny had just sat. He could hear Aberforth and Albus muttering to Ariana quietly. Harry moved towards them and told some of those closest to them to move, which they did.

The wind was still whipping around the room but Harry also noticed some things were rattling. He looked back to where Ariana was, but he couldn't see much because Aberforth and Albus were in the way. It almost looked as if electricity was crackling from where Ariana was sitting.

"Ariana," Harry heard Aberforth say tenderly. "Please calm down. Listen Ariana, please. Calm down."

"Please, Ariana," Albus pleaded, though he still managed to sound in control. "Do what Ab says," Aberforth shot Albus a look but Albus didn't even seem to notice. Aberforth turned his face back to Ariana and he put out a hand and placed it on the girl's cheek. About two seconds after he did that, the wind died down and the objects around the room stopped rattling. There was also no more electricity coming from Ariana.

The room had become silent except for the sobs from Ariana and the whimpering from Dudley and Petunia. As Harry watched, Ariana threw herself into Aberforth's arms and began to cry openly. Harry turned and saw Ginny, Hermione and Ron lowering their wands slightly. Dudley and Petunia had moved backwards into their couch quite a bit. Harry turned back around and saw Albus stand up.

"I think it might be best if we have a little break," He said, his voice sombre. Everyone in the room nodded and stood up. "Harry, may I have a word?" Albus asked. Harry nodded and walked to his now twenty-odd year old mentor.

"Do you think that this will calm down once she gets a wand Albus?" Harry asked quietly as he looked to Ariana who was being comforted by Aberforth. Albus sighed.

"We can always hope," He said sadly. "I do believe that once she learns to control the magic and uses it more often, she will stop these terrible outbursts. But I need to discuss something right now."

"What is it?" Harry asked curiously.

"I think you should have Dudley and Petunia try to talk to Ariana," Albus said. Harry thought about it for a moment.

"Are you sure that's wise Albus?" Harry asked. "Ariana did just have an outburst _because_ of the Dursleys. At least, I think that's why."

"It was," Albus verified. "But I was thinking that if she knew that the Dursleys in this room are not the same as the Dursleys in the book, perhaps there would not be another outburst like this towards them," Harry rubbed his chin.

"I suppose you're right," He said finally. "I'll ask them. I also think we should include Draco in that as well," Harry said and Albus smiled weakly.

"That might be for the best," He said. "I think we should wait at least a few minutes for Ariana to calm down. Perhaps you should come and talk to her. Ariana likes you," Harry nodded and walked to where Ariana was now out of Aberforth's arms and sitting back on the couch, looking quite upset.

"Hey Ariana," Harry said kindly. Ariana looked up before looking away, embarrassed. "May I sit with you?" Ariana nodded. Harry looked to Aberforth who nodded and got up before walking away in the direction of Mad-Eye. Harry looked back at Ariana who was still looking away. "You okay?" Harry asked. Ariana looked back at him slowly, a single tear rolling down her tear-stained face.

"How –" Ariana began before she cut herself off.

"Go on," Harry said softly.

"How did you get through all of that?" Ariana asked. "They were so mean to you."

"Yes, they were," Harry agreed. "And I don't know how I got through it. It may have been a mixture of things. I really didn't know anything different so I thought it was all what was supposed to happen. Nearly everyone I met didn't like me until I met Hagrid. Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and Dudley all made my life terrible. And it took me a very long time to get past it."

"But you got past it?" Ariana asked before looking away again, apparently a little embarrassed that she spoke without thinking.

"I did," Harry confirmed. "Otherwise they wouldn't be here today. I don't love them, and I never will. I can now tolerate them," Ariana looked back at him strangely.

"You don't love your family?" She asked sadly. Harry closed his eyes for a second.

"No. I don't love Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon or Dudley," Harry said and Ariana's eyes widened. "But after I came into the wizarding world, I began to love. I love all of my friends and family. I don't need to love the Dursleys."

"Why did you bring them here?" Ariana asked.

"I brought Aunt Petunia's parents and her sister back," Harry replied. "I thought it was only fair."

"But did they have to be here for this?" Ariana asked sadly. Harry thought for a minute.

"I suppose not," Harry replied. "But they do deserve to be here, if only to learn what I got up to when I wasn't with them."

"But it's so sad what happened to you," Ariana said tearfully.

"Ariana," Harry said seriously. She seemed to sense the tone as she looked him right in the eyes. "I'm going to tell you something I'm not going to tell anyone else who doesn't already know. So that means you can't tell Albus or Aberforth. Okay?" Ariana nodded. "It's going to get worse."

"What do you mean?" Ariana said, sounding scared.

"What we've read up until now," Harry said in a soft tone. "It's nothing compared to what will happen later on. I'm telling you this because I need you to keep control. Can you do that for me?" Ariana looked at Harry with tears sitting in her eyes. She didn't speak for a few seconds.

"Okay," Ariana whispered. "I'll try."

"That's all I'm asking," Harry said with a slight smile.

"Harry?" Ariana asked.

"Yes?" Harry replied.

"How much worse?" She asked. Harry took a breath and looked around the room.

"Nearly everyone we brought back," Harry started. "Were killed during my years at Hogwarts. Cedric. Sirius," Harry was about to say Albus but thought better of it. "Amelia. Hedwig. Alastor. Ted. Fred. Remus. Tonks. Colin. They all died in my years at Hogwarts. And for some of them, I saw it happen," Ariana gasped as Harry said that. "And that isn't even counting what happened to me personally or any of my friends."

"That's...terrible," Ariana said sadly. Harry nodded.

"It is. And that's why I need you to try and be calm," Harry said. "So when the books mention the bad people, I need you to try to keep calm."

"I...I will, Harry," Ariana said, barely above a whisper. "For you."

"That means a lot to me, Ariana," Harry said warmly. Harry quickly got Albus' attention as he stood. Albus made his way over swiftly. Before he sat down, Harry murmured. "I've talked to Ariana, and she's told me that she'll try to calm down. If this happens again, I'll have the others talk to her, otherwise it should be fine."

"Thank you Harry," Albus said with a sigh. "I must admit that I have never had much success in dealing with Ariana, so thank you."

"Think nothing of it, Albus," Harry said with a smile before he moved off and sat with Tom who looked up at Harry with a scared look on his face.

"What was that Dad?" Tom asked, trying to keep the fear out of his voice. Harry put an arm around Tom and pulled him close.

"Ariana has problems dealing with her magic," Harry explained. "It will be explained more in the books, but don't be too worried."

"She looked scary," Tom said, looking over at the girl who was being cleaned up by Albus. Harry sighed.

"She couldn't control it," Harry said and Tom looked back at him. "Ariana didn't like being magical for a very long time so she never used it. It's kind of stored up. She should have learnt to control it when she was eleven but she never went to Hogwarts or got a wand. Because she's older and can't control it, she's more dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Tom asked. Harry looked down and saw that James II and Albus II were listening as well. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Colin and Dennis listening too.

"Yes, but she's going to get a wand very soon and then she'll learn how to control it," Harry said.

"And she'll be better?" James II asked. Harry nodded.

"We are certain that she will," Harry said. Tom, James II and Albus II all nodded and looked to the girl who was now sitting with her brothers again. Harry looked around the room and saw that nearly everyone was back in their seats. Ginny sat down and leant in to Harry.

"I explained to Petunia and Dudley what was going on," She whispered. Harry nodded.

"Thanks Gin," Harry said as he gave her a kiss.

"I think," Albus announced. "That it would now be safe to continue."

"Go on Dennis," Harry prompted and Dennis began to read once more.

"**Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"**

"**HUFFLEPUFF!"**

**Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the House at once, but at others it took a little while to decide.**

"Well everyone _is_ different," Patricia said. "Some people have traits for more than one house.

"**Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.**

"I wonder what the Sorting Hat was deciding between for him," Ron mused aloud. "He wasn't Ravenclaw material and, after fifth year, I don't see him as a Hufflepuff. Slytherin? Nah."

"Maybe it tried to put him somewhere and he was convincing it to put him somewhere else," Harry suggested. Those who understood what he was saying nodded their heads.

"**Granger, Hermione!"**

**Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.**

Snickers broke out again and Hermione blushed.

"Someone's eager," Angelina said with a laugh.

"It was exciting," Hermione said in her own defence.

"**GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned.**

Everyone broke into laughter as they had the chapter previous at the fact that they were now married and had children. Both Ron and Hermione blushed.

"I had no idea you two hated each other," Draco commented.

"I never hated Ron," Hermione said sadly. "Well except on Halloween."

"What happens at Halloween?" Colin asked. Hermione and Ron just smiled and shook their heads. Colin turned to Harry who did the same.

**A horrible thought struck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. What if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he'd better get back on the train?**

"Wouldn't happen," Fred said with a nod of his head.

"Definitely not," George said.

"Not to the Boy Who Lived at least," Fred finished and Harry groaned.

Severus was eyeing Harry with interest, as he had the entire chapter. He was looking for proof that he was like his father. He was absolutely certain that it would come. _Give it time_, Severus thought bitterly as he looked over to James Potter who was hugging Lily. Severus' heart broke again.

**When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool.**

"Oh dear," Alice said with a chuckle. "It's happened again."

"What do you mean?" Neville asked. Alice blushed slightly.

"It happened to me as well," She admitted. Frank laughed.

"I was in my second year and I did laugh at her," He said. "Of course it was endearing," He said quickly as Alice glared at him. Neville couldn't wipe the huge grin from his face.

**The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."**

There was laughter all around the room and Neville didn't even blush. He had made his peace with how he was back then. It was what it was and he was no longer embarrassed by it. It helped to know that his mother was just as bad.

**Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called**

"I wonder where he'll go," Dorea said sarcastically.

**and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"**

"Shock horror," Charlus said equally as sarcastically as his wife had not long before.

**Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.**

"Dunno why," Ron muttered under his breath but he stopped as soon as Hermione elbowed him.

**There weren't many people left now.**

"**Moon" … , "Nott" … , "Parkinson" … , then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil" … , then "Perks, Sally-Anne" … , and then, at last —**

"**Potter, Harry!"**

"Finally!" Sirius, James, Remus and Lily exclaimed.

**As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.**

Severus sneered. He knew it was coming. But because he wasn't really paying attention he missed the look of disgust that crossed Harry's face as well as many others around the room. He just wanted his confirmation.

"**Potter, did she say?"**

"**The Harry Potter?"**

**The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him.**

Harry didn't much like the pitying looks he was getting so he chose to not pay attention to them and tried to just listen to Dennis read the book.

**Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.**

"**Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes — and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting. … So where shall I put you?"**

"So you could go to all four houses?" Percy asked suddenly and Harry nodded.

**Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, **_**Not Slytherin, not Slytherin**_**.**

"Good choice," Draco and Narcissa said together.

"Why do you say that?" Molly asked. Draco and Narcissa both looked at the woman.

"If he were to be sorted into Slytherin," Narcissa explained. "There would be a lot of problems. He would have been tortured by the Slytherins who agreed with the Dark Lord and there is no way he could have been the leader he became."

"**Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that —**

"The hat seriously tried to put you in Slytherin?" Molly II asked quickly.

"Yes it did," Harry told her. "I, obviously, didn't like that idea very much. After all, all I knew about Slytherin was that Draco, Crabbe, Goyle and Voldemort were in that House. Not exactly a great endorsement."

"Of course I am," Draco said, puffing his chest up. Everyone in the room was quite shocked at Draco joking around.

**no? Well, if you're sure — better be GRYFFINDOR!"**

"As if you could be anything else," Sirius scoffed. "You're the son of a Marauder!" Lily snorted.

"I think you're forgetting someone, Black," She said and Sirius looked at her.

"Oh...uh...and the son of Lily of course," Sirius amended.

**Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. He was so relieved to have been chosen and not put in Slytherin, he hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet.**

"Of course you were," Cedric said with a laugh. "Boy Who Lived and all that."

**Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"**

"Of course you did," Molly sighed. She was quite resigned to what Fred and George were.

"I think the book forgot something, brother mine," George said with a thoughtful look on his face.

"I do believe it forgot to describe our dance," Fred said. Then they both stood and did a terrible looking dance that Harry recognised as the one they had done during the sorting and laughed at them.

**Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff he'd seen earlier. The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden, horrible feeling he'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water.**

"That is the creepiest feeling in the world," Myrtle said. She didn't even realise the irony in what she had just said, though many people in the room did.

**He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who caught his eye and gave him the thumbs up. Harry grinned back.**

"It's good that you know someone there," Lily said with a smile. She had always liked Hagrid as well.

**And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognized him at once from the card he'd gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train.**

Albus smiled. He loved having a Chocolate Frog card. It meant far more to him than any of his now former titles. This was because there was no power involved. Power that he couldn't afford to have unless necessary. Power wasn't good for him. Grindelwald's face flashed before his eyes before the next sentence.

**Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. Harry spotted Professor Quirrell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban.**

"A turban?" Several people asked, including Albus and Severus.

**And now there were only four people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a Black boy even taller than Ron, joined Harry at the Gryffindor table. "Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now.**

"As opposed to the red he has been for ages," Ginny said teasingly and Ron turned red.

**Harry crossed his fingers under the table and a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"**

"NO!" Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George and Ginny all yelled. Ron went even redder, though he smiled, knowing that it was all a joke.

**Harry clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to him.**

"**Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously across Harry as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.**

**Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago.**

"Probably because they were," Cordelia said kindly.

**Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.**

"There aren't many things that do please me more," Albus said as his eyes flickered to Aberforth and Ariana. The two of them being with him pleased him far more.

"**Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!**

"Um..." The room said collectively, looking at Dumbledore for an explanation. Dumbledore's mouth twitched and his eyes sparkled.

"I'm glad I chose those words," Albus said with a smile. "I'd been working on them for quite some time."

"**Thank you!"**

**He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not.**

"I would not mind in the slightest if you laughed," Albus said with a chuckle.

"**Is he — a bit mad?" he asked Percy uncertainly.**

"No one can be 'a bit mad'," Luna said serenely. Harry nearly laughed at the sheer hilarity of the fact that Luna said that. "You're either mad or you aren't."

"And which are you, Luna?" Neville asked with a kind smile.

"Mad, of course," Luna replied with a radiant smile.

"**Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?"**

Albus chuckled merrily at that statement.

**Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.**

"I was going to say that he should have seen everything he liked to eat on one table," James said with a smirk. "But I think this is a bit much.

"And as for the humbugs," Albus said. "I have the House Elves put them out because I like them."

**The Dursleys had never exactly starved Harry, but he'd never been allowed to eat as much as he liked.**

"Boo!" Most people said as one. Petunia and Dudley shrunk back.

**Dudley had always taken anything that Harry really wanted, even if it made him sick.**

"How often did that happen?" Remus asked.

"Quite a bit," Harry replied with a smirk.

"Excellent," Remus said.

**Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat. It was all delicious.**

"**That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak.**

"**Can't you — ?"**

"**I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."**

"I think I prefer just 'The Bloody Baron' to all of that," Andromeda said and there was a laugh.

"**I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you — you're Nearly Headless Nick!"**

"**I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy —" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted.**

"Here it comes," Arthur said, his face draining a little.

"**Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"**

**Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.**

"It never really does I suspect," Colin laughed. "Someone in our year asked him."

"Same," Dennis said with a laugh.

"I asked him when I got to Hogwarts," Albus admitted much to the amusement of everyone in the room.

"**Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge.**

"Ew," Said all of the girls under the age of fifteen in the room while all the boys under the same age said, "Cool."

**Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So — new Gryffindors!**

"Good way to change the topic," Regulus said with a snort. "Smooth."

**I hope you're going to help us win the House Championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row!**

"And that's despite having Charlie Weasley as a damn Seeker," Tonks said with a smirk. "Gryffindor won Quidditch and Slytherin won the House Cup," Charlie muttered something that included the words 'Snape', 'unfairly' and 'points'.

**The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable — he's the Slytherin ghost."**

**Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements.**

"Who would be if you had to sit next to him?" Draco said with a grimace.

"The Grey Lady," Harry muttered. Only Ginny, Tom, Lily and Remus heard. Lily was now sitting on her mother's lap, wide awake.

"**How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.**

"**I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.**

"I did," All of the Slytherins said as one.

"Well then," James II said eagerly. "What's his story?"

"He wouldn't say," The Slytherins said together before looking back and forth between each other.

**When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding …**

Ron's stomach growled at the thought and he, once again, turned red as people laughed at him. "What?" He asked irritably. "I'm hungry!"

"So we heard," Harry said with a laugh at his best friend's expense.

**As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families.**

"I love treacle tart," Harry, James and Lily said together causing them all to smile. Harry felt Tom poke him in the arm.

"What's treacle tart?" Tom asked quietly.

"You can try some later," Harry said just as quietly and Tom looked quite excited.

"**I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."**

"Good work," Mad-Eye said approvingly, receiving glares from around the room.

"You mean to say that you think that Muggles shouldn't be told until they're married to a witch or wizard?" Emma asked, affronted.

"It's for our own safety," Mad-Eye grunted. "What would happen if someone told their little boyfriend or girlfriend about magic and then they break up? They'd either have to be Obliviated or they'd have the chance to blab it to everyone."

"But it's essentially lying," Emma persisted. "How can you have a healthy relationship with a lie like that?"

"Not my problem," Moody said. "It's the law."

**The others laughed.**

"**What about you, Neville?" said Ron.**

"**Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages.**

"Why didn't you mention us?" Frank asked Neville.

"Because he's a fool," Augusta interrupted.

"I was talking to _Neville_, mother," Frank said coldly, so much so that Augusta looked angry.

"I didn't want pity," Neville explained.

"We understand," Frank said as Alice enveloped Neville in a hug.

**My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me — he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned —**

"HE DID WHAT?" Alice and Frank yelled as well as some others. They were both on their feet and were glaring daggers at Augusta who actually looked frightened.

"Mum. Dad. Calm down," Neville said quietly. "It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal?" Alice asked him, sadness in her eyes. "It was abuse Neville!"

"He was only –" Neville started quietly.

"Abusing you," Frank said fervently before turning back to his mother. "How _dare_ you let your brother do that to my son!"

"But I –" Augusta tried to say but Frank silenced her with his wand.

"You nothing!" He yelled furiously. "You allowed this to happen!"

"Frank," Alice said, placing a hand on her husband's arm. "She did try to stop it. I can see it," Frank turned to her.

"Are you sure?" Frank asked and Alice nodded. "Why didn't she get it stopped then?"

"You know your uncle," Alice said reasonably. "He'd just do it behind her back."

"Bloody Slytherin," Frank muttered before taking off the silencing charm from Augusta. "Where does he live?"

"Why do you –" Augusta asked but was cut off by Alice.

"Answer him," She said angrily, though her anger was more directed at Algie.

"He...he lives in the same place," Augusta replied. Frank nodded and was about to apparate away when Alice stopped him.

"Let's wait until after this chapter," She said. Frank didn't look happy, but he nodded and sat down angrily.

**but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner,**

Frank, Alice, Lily and James all growled. James and Lily were very close with Frank and Alice. Lily was Neville's godmother and, when he had seen him, James had loved the boy like his own.

**and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go.**

"HE WHAT?" Alice, Frank, Lily and James yelled. Luckily, Alice and Lily calmed down quick enough to stop their husbands from apparating away.

**But I bounced — all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy.**

Before anyone could say anything, Augusta cut in. "Not because of what Algie did to cause the magic, but because he was safe. Neville having magic was only a little part of it."

Frank scrutinised his mother before nodding.

**And you should have seen their faces when I got in here — they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."**

"Oh yeah," Alice said sarcastically. "That makes up for the abuse. A damn toad!"

**On Harry's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons ("I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult —"; "You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing —").**

"Oh god!" Fred and George exclaimed, clutching at their hearts. "There's two of them!" Percy and Hermione scowled at them.

**Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.**

"Now children," Sirius said in a strange voice. "Who do we know who looks like that?"

"Snape!" James, Remus, Fred, George, Fabian, Gideon, Ron and Harry all said with a laugh. Snape merely glared at them with intense hatred.

_There we go_, Snape thought to himself. _Just like his blasted father. His arrogance knows no bounds_.

**It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Harry's eyes — and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead.**

"What?" Many people asked. Lily looked to Snape quickly, a thought running through her mind. Would her former best friend _really _use legilimency on her son.

"**Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head.**

"**What is it?" asked Percy.**

"**N-nothing."**

"You've never been a good liar mate," Ron said with a laugh. Harry smiled.

"I really haven't, have I?" Harry asked, particularly remembering being caught by snatchers and using 'Vernon Dudley' as a name.

**The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had gotten from the teachers look — a feeling that he didn't like Harry at all.**

"Severus!" Lily exclaimed. Severus flinched slightly.

"It hasn't happened for him yet Mum," Harry reminded her. She didn't like it, but she calmed down.

Severus looked at Harry strangely. _He just didn't want to see his mother angry_, Severus reasoned.

"**Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked Percy.**

"**Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to — everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."**

Lily huffed and Severus just had an impassive look on his face.

**Harry watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at him again.**

**At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.**

"Perhaps he has some actual words this time," Aberforth grumbled. "I know English is a tough language, but that's ridiculous."

"**Ahem — just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.**

"**First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."**

**Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.**

"Frederick and George Weasley!" Molly shrieked. "When have you _ever _been in the Forbidden Forest?"

"Uh..." Both of the twins said lamely as the Marauders and Fabian and Gideon snickered, having also been in the forest themselves. Luckily for Fred and George, Dennis started to read.

"**I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.**

"Which, naturally, means that magic _will_ be used in the corridors," David said, knowing full well what students would do.

"**Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch.**

"**And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."**

"Wait. What?" Nearly everyone said, looking to Albus whose face was a mask.

"I am aware that this will be the case," Albus replied. "But for the sake of the story, I will say no more. Who knows if it will be important?"

"But why would you say _that_ to children and teenagers?" Leigh asked, surprised at the Headmaster's mistake.

"Would you rather me _not_ tell the students?" Albus asked. Suddenly, people began to see what Dumbledore meant.

**Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did.**

"**He's not serious?" he muttered to Percy.**

"**Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere — the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least."**

"Ah, Percy. Prefects need not know all," Charlie said in a near-perfect imitation of Albus who simply chuckled while Percy seemed to blush.

"**And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.**

**Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.**

"**Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"**

"Surely you don't think that's a good idea?" Emma asked incredulously.

"It does create some interesting music," Dumbledore replied.

**And the school bellowed: **

"**Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,  
Teach us something please,  
Whether we be old and bald  
Or young with scabby knees,  
Our heads could do with filling  
With some interesting stuff,  
For now they're bare and full of air,  
Dead flies and bits of fluff,  
So teach us things worth knowing,  
Bring back what we've forgot,  
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,  
And learn until our brains all rot."**

"That's a...curious school song," Dan said with a smile.

"Did I ever tell you the motto?" Hermione asked and everyone who attended Hogwarts laughed, even Snape. When her parents shook their heads Hermione spoke. "Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus."

"What does that mean?" Emma asked to a round of laughs.

"Never tickle a sleeping dragon," Hermione answered. Dan and Emma exchanged looks before breaking down into laughter as well.

**Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march.**

"Absolutely brilliant!" James, Sirius and Remus said while a lot of the kids were wondering what the funeral march was.

**Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.**

"You really are quite mad aren't you?" Harry asked humorously.

"Of course," Dumbledore replied with a smile and his eyes twinkling.

"**Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"**

**The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Harry's legs were like lead again, but only because he was so tired and full of food. He was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Harry was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt.**

**A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.**

"Ah, Peeves," A few people said with varying levels of reverence.

"**Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves — show yourself."**

**A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.**

"**Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"**

"Good choice of words," Tonks said to Percy. "He's terrified of the Baron."

**There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.**

"**Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"**

**He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.**

"That's good reflexes for people who were just dragging their feet," Amelia commented.

"Imminent danger will do that," Harry said knowledgeably which concerned quite a few people.

"**Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.**

**Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head.**

Neville sighed. "It was always me for a good five years," Neville said sadly.

"Why only five years?" Alice asked. Neville looked to Harry who nodded slightly.

"At the end of fifth year something happens which boosts my confidence quite a bit," Neville replied giving just enough information to make his mother nod her head.

**They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.**

"**You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."**

"How many times has he said prefect so far?" Fabian asked, looking at Gideon.

"I truly don't know Fabian," Gideon replied. "Too many."

"Hey! I was proud!" Percy said, finally saying something about the jokes.

"There's proud and then there's boasting," Arthur told his middle son who coloured slightly.

**At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.**

"**Password?" she said.**

"You have a password to get in?" The Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws asked. The Gryffindors nodded.

"**Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it — Neville needed a leg up — and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.**

"Ah the good old days," James said with a content look on his face.

"I actually think their common room might be better than Slytherin's," Draco murmured so that only Narcissa and Astoria could hear. To his surprise, both of them nodded.

**Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase — they were obviously in one of the towers — they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains.**

Dumbledore chuckled, rembering setting them on fire when he was a student.

**Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed.**

"**Great food, isn't it?" Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings.**

"Of course he talks about the damn food," Hermione grumbled which made everyone laugh.

"**Get off, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets."**

Once again, the people who knew got very stony looks at the mention of the rat. A few people caught the looks, but none of them pieced it together as of that moment.

**Harry was going to ask Ron if he'd had any of the treacle tart, but he fell asleep almost at once.**

**Perhaps Harry had eaten a bit too much, because he had a very strange dream. He was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to him, telling him he must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was his destiny.**

Snickers were heard all around the room, though Harry still wondered why it was that he could actually dream something like that, given that it was pretty accurate in the end. Quirrell did have someone in his turban who could talk and Harry could have been in Slytherin and it was made more likely by the piece of Voldemort's soul.

**Harry told the turban he didn't want to be in Slytherin; it got heavier and heavier; he tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully — and there was Malfoy, laughing at him as he struggled with it — then Malfoy turned into the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, whose laugh became high and cold — there was a burst of green light and Harry woke, sweating and shaking.**

"Oh God," Lily said, looking at her son sadly. She was quite upset that her own son would have to think of the man she used to call her best friend in that way. It was depressing to say the least.

James was fuming after that. _How could Snivillus do that to my child?_ James wondered angrily. James knew that there was a time and a place to hold a grudge and being a teacher at a school was certainly not one of them.

**He rolled over and fell asleep again, and when he woke next day, he didn't remember the dream at all.**

"That's good," Lily said, feeling a little better.

"And that's it for this chapter," Dennis said. "Who's next?"

Xenophilius Lovegood was rather interested in that last dream. How could Harry have dreamt something like that? It was so absurd! Yet, Xenophilius always liked the absurd. The absurd made life a lot better. The more he thought about it, the more he thought that it was relevant. _Perhaps Harry is a small part Seer?_ Xenophilius wondered. He would be sure to keep an eye on Quirrell in this story.

Colin Creevey couldn't hear this chapter and not think of his own sorting. The hat had tried a lot to put Colin in Hufflepuff, but he knew Harry Potter was in Gryffindor. If he was sorted into Hufflepuff, he wouldn't be able to make friends with him. So he convinced the hat to change its mind and it worked. It was just a shame that the rest of the plan didn't work. He was in Gryffindor and friendless. He had wondered, over the years, what would have happened had he been sorted into Hufflepuff. Would he have made friends? He always thought he would have but it didn't matter. He was a Gryffindor.

Luna Scamander remembered her sorting all too well. She wasn't nervous as so many before her were. She had no one to impress so it really didn't matter where she went. She knew that her father wouldn't care where she was. She was friendly with Ginevra, but it didn't really mean anything. The hat was torn between Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw but Luna showed no interest whatsoever. She just wanted to be sorted and actually belong somewhere, not that that worked.

Molly Weasley, knowing full well who Quirrell was hiding, was quite surprised at the dream that Harry had. It contained that one bit of information that could have helped the crisis be solved earlier. Despite it having already happened, Molly had a feeling of dread. She put it down to a mother's instinct. After all, she was bound to be worried when her children were in danger.

Now that he was faced with James Potter _and _Lily Potter together in a room with their son, Severus was becoming slightly concerned about whether his thoughts about Harry were exactly warranted. After all, Harry is as much Lily's son as he is Potter's. _No!_ Severus yelled in his mind. _He's Potter's son. Arrogant. Lazy. Self-centred_. He had to be. He just had to.

* * *

_**Author's Note**_

**Sorry I took so long to update. I had help lined up for this, but it never came so I decided today that I should write the next chapter. So here it is. And it's pretty cool if I do say so myself.**

**I don't know how I came up with Amos for the beginning bit, but it came to me. It seemed to just work.**

**The Ariana freak-out moment was something I've been thinking about for a while. I hope you all liked it and the subsequent conversation. I didn't realise how long it was getting until I had it written so I hope that explains the length.**

**And there you go _Shinigami_. There's Alice and Frank's reactions. More to come on that, in the next chapter apparently. Anyway, I thought that it was a fair reaction what they did. I enjoyed writing it, even if Augusta wasn't as funny as usual.**

**My sincere thanks go out to _Taeniaea_, _monkeymail_, _Aurors of Olympus_, _SokkasFirst__Fangirl_, _Luna's__DeathlyHallows_, _Katriinaa_, _Shinigami_, _beverlie4055_, _Human With Angel Wings_, _ssdgirl_, _shanesdragon_ and _juliana_ for reviewing this story. You guys are amazing.**

**_monkeymail_ - You bring up a good point. I may post up an age list thing on my profile in the next day or two. I'll also include their House at Hogwarts as well. I'll also say when they know up to in the series because that's important...argh! More work! Lol.**

**_Katriinaa_ - Whoops. Lol. But thanks for the kind words.  
**

**_Shinigami_ - Most of your points are answered in this chapter, so I'll talk about Narcissa. I think she does know that purebloods will die out eventually, but she still believes them to be superior to muggle-borns. I think Narcissa is a smart woman and would be able to see that, but that won't stop her from believing what she does.**

**Oh, I think I'll just tell you that they will be reading eight or nine chapters before they take a break each time. I don't know how accurate this would be, but I really don't care all that much.  
**

**That's it for this chapter. I hope you all liked it. Let me know in the reviews! I'll be working on a chapter for _Harry Potter and the Tears of an_ _Angel _after I post this up and will hopefully have it up tomorrow. No promises.**

**Beletrium/Koldrian  
**


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